Chuck Versus Mason's Island
by DirectorCarmichael
Summary: Five years after the events of Season 5, Chuck and the gang are blindsided when one of their own is kidnapped. Includes flashbacks from over the years after the finale. Will have adventure, drama, action, and, of course, romance. Please R/R!
1. Prologue

**A/N: I have been a long time reader on this site, mostly (OK all) Chuck. This is my first attempt at Fan Fiction. I know this chapter is short, but I wanted to get the feel of writing chapters and get some feedback as to whether people would be interested in hearing more. Read and Review please!**

**Summary: Five years after the events of Season 5, Chuck and the gang are blindsided when one of their own is kidnapped. Will have adventure, drama, action, and, of course, romance. **

**Undisclosed Location**

The six foot, white haired senior citizen leered down at his captive. He heard a slight whimper, almost a sob, escape the kidnapee's gagged mouth. He chuckled lightly.

"You have no clue why you're here, do you young lady?"

**Burbank, CA**

Sarah walks into the armory in Castle and grabs her Heckler and Koch G36C off the rack and begins to disassemble and clean it. She gazes around at the various submachine guns, assault rifles, body armor, tactical equipment, and handguns. Replacing the G36C on the wall, she reaches over to grab her Smith and Wesson M&P off the counter to clean it next, and sighs. Sarah looks down at her ten month old daughter, smiling at her, and instantly snaps out of it.

The armory hadn't had that kind of weaponry in almost five years.

Sarah looks down in her hands, realizing instead of her M&P and a cleaning rag, she held a bottle of baby powder and a baby wipe.

With a heart-stopping smile on her face, she looks around the armory again. Three years ago, they had decided to turn it into their own little family den. It was Chuck's idea. He wanted to spend more time with their children when they were working, so they completely transformed the room. They put in a big comfy leather couch, a huge flatscreen on the wall, a baby changing station, and computer stations. Sarah finished changing her daughter, and sat back on the couch to watch TV with her.

Chuck and Sarah loved the fact that when they were working in the main room, or in the conference room, they could always go spend some time with their young children.

It helped that they had diminished any danger to them, their family, or their friends five years ago when they shut Carmichael Industries down for good, and opened WhiteFence Diagnostics.

**FIve Years Ago. Their Beach. **

"Chuck."

"Kiss me."

They met in the middle, cautiously optimistic about the impact of this kiss. After a minute, they slowly backed away, staring into each other's eyes.

Chuck was wise enough to wait for her to speak.

"Chuck…" He could swear her eyes were brightening by the millisecond.

"You're a gift."


	2. Revelations

A/N: I got a lot of encouragement after I posted the first chapter, so I decided to give the next one a go. I'm having a lot of fun writing this. Fair warning, there's a good amount of fluff and Charah in this episode, but hey, it's so much fun to write and they're awesome. Picks up right where the last chapter left off, with Chuck and Sarah on their beach. I promise the story will pick up soon, It's going to be a cross-country adventure with most of the gang involved in some way. R/R! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, but I could pwn him in CoD.

_"Chuck."_

_"Kiss me."_

_They met in the middle, cautiously optimistic about the impact of this kiss. After a minute, they slowly backed away, staring into each other's eyes. _

_Chuck was wise enough to wait for her to speak._

_"Chuck…" He could swear her eyes were brightening by the millisecond. _

_"You're a gift."_

"Wha…what?" Chuck asked, honestly confused.

"CHARLES IRVING BARTOWSKI! Don't you DARE tell me you have already forgotten our wedding vows!"

Chuck studied her face for a split second, trying to decipher whether she was toying with him, or serious, or any other inane possibility. He reminded himself that his wife shouldn't, couldn't, remember their wedding.

"Chuck." That one syllable was spoken so calmly. So softly.

He immediately relaxed. She still knows how to instantly calm him.

"At our wedding you told me that you were going to prove how much you love me every day for the rest of our lives. You have kept your promise. You also told me that I can count on you."

"I did…but wait, Sarah, you remember that!"

"I remember Chuck. I remember telling you that I want to love and learn and spend the rest of my life with you. I remember cutting Morgan off with "I do" because I couldn't wait another second to be your wife. To be Sarah Bartowski. I remember you dipping me and kissing that spot on my neck that you know drives me absolutely crazy. I remember, Chuck."

Chuck, for one of the first times she had known him, was at a total loss for words. Was his wife really back?

"Sarah, is it really you? I'm sorry, I heard everything you just said, but it's just hard to believe…."

"Chuck, I'm not going to lie, I don't remember everything. It's still a little fuzzy and a lot blurry. But it's me. I know who I am. I know I'm your wife. I know I'm not going anywhere. And I know if you don't get your butt over here in the next five seconds and kiss me like my husband should, then I'm going to be extremely difficult to deal with. Tantrum style."

Chuck was processing everything Sarah had just said. He couldn't wrap his mind around it just yet, so, naturally, he began to babble like a confused teenager.

"Sarah, it's just that, you were gone. I looked into your eyes and you were gone. My wife was taken from me….I can't believe this. Is it true? Is it real? Is it…"

"Chuck…."

He looked at her.

"Shut up and kiss me."

That was all he needed to hear.

**2017. Castle.**

"Chuck!" Sarah was glaring at him. He knew that look, and he knew he was in trouble. He sheepishly looked down at his feet.

"How could you think that playing Call of Duty with our four-year-old son was OK! Especially when you told me twenty minutes ago you had "work" to do, just to get out of giving me a back rub!" Sarah was legitimately, and rightfully, pissed at her husband.

"Mom!" Four-year-old Stephen Charles Bartowski looked up innocently at his mom, his brown eyes that he inherited from his dad trying to work their magic. "It was my idea, don't blame Daddy! I wanted to play because I always see Uncle Morgan and Dad playing and I wanted to be a grown up!"

Sarah couldn't help but laugh.

"No. You're never growing up. You'll always be my baby boy!" Sarah actually pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked down at her son, then up at his father. God, those Bartowski boys and their smiles. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Fine. But Chuck, honey, hold off on the truly violent games for a few years OK?" Chuck nodded adamantly.

At that, father and son went back to find a less-violent video game to enjoy together. Sarah watched _her_ boys, _Her_ nerds. They settled on playing Madden. Chuck had recently started to pay more attention to sports, because firstly he now had more time on his hands, but Sarah thought, correctly, it was more for their son's sake. He wanted to seem like the "cool" Dad, even if their son was only four.

**2012. Echo Park.**

They had decided only weeks after the beach to start a family. It was Sarah's idea. She knew that Chuck was trying his hardest to take things slow with her while she regained all her memories. She had just remembered that before she downloaded the Intersect, before her memory got wiped, that they had been trying for kids. As recently as the bullet train, they had been trying. She wanted to show Chuck that she was still in it for the long haul, but mostly she wanted to create something with Chuck. Something tangible. Something they could love. _His _child. No, she thought to herself, _their _child. She cried thinking about it. That's how Chuck had found her on their bed.

"Sarah! Baby what's wrong? Are you OK?" Chuck was on his knees in front of her. She sat up on the bed to look him in his eyes.

"Yes Chuck. I'm fine. Better than fine. I had an idea I wanted to share with you." She started to smile slowly. Chuck looked confused. A minute ago he had walked into their apartment, and not finding Sarah anywhere, had crept towards their bedroom. He had heard her quietly sobbing, and in true Chuck fashion, had feared the worst.

"Is this "idea" going to change our relationship? Because we were just getting back into the swing of things….." He realized he should just let her talk.

"Well, honestly, yes. It is going to change us. Drastically." She purposely said this with a serious tone, usually reserved for her "Agent" side. She was playing with him, but he didn't know that. Yet another thing she loved about him. His cluelessness.

"OK Sarah give it to me. We've been through so much in the last few weeks, hell in the last five years, that nothing is going to tear us apart ever again."

"Chuck, baby, calm down. Let me explain."

At that she got up and went to the desk. He was now utterly confounded.

She rifled through one of the drawers, and seemingly found what she was looking for. Chuck hadn't turned his head, he was still staring at the empty spot on their bed Sarah had recently vacated. She sat back down on the bed, grabbing his hand, pulling him up to sit beside her.

He had decided when she got up that he was going to let her say whatever she had to get out. He wasn't going to mess this up, even if it was a game-changer.

They looked at each other, and their eyes softened. Their hands instinctually linked, fingers intertwining, her left hand in his right. He noticed she had her engagement and wedding rings on. She hadn't taken them off since that day at the beach. Only to shower. She used to to take them off to sleep. Not anymore. He smiled. It still made him weak in the knees to think that she was actually his wife. Forever.

He noticed a piece of paper in her right hand. Seeing that he had seen it, she decided it was now or never.

"Chuck do you remember this?" She asked. She unfolded the white piece of paper, and Chuck instantly recognized it as the drawing he had made after they had made love on the bullet train.

"I would never forget that Sarah."

"I told you I would never forget it either, remember baby?"

"I remember Sarah. Of course."

"Chuck this is what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm ready. I'm ready to have your children. To be a mom. To be a parent. With you."

Chuck was grinning ear to ear now.

"Sarah I don't know what to say. I mean we were trying before all this happened, but I never thought that you would be ready again so soon. Are you sure?"

"Chuck I honestly think that if I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have married you. Duh."

"Good point."

"So what do you think? I know that we're still dealing with this, and I know it's soon, but Chuck, I want this. I want this more than anything. I want to give you this. Please, let me give you this."

"Do you even have to ask? Let's do it sweetie. I'm in."

"Well if you're in then why are you still talking to me?"

Chuck looked confused.

"Oh, Chuck. I'm going to have to spell it out for you aren't I? Get over here and let's start a family. NOW."

Late that night, in that moment between consciousness and dreams, he could have sworn he heard her softly mumble, "You saved me."

When it came time to start thinking of names, it was Sarah's idea to name their first born son after Chuck's dad. He was so touched by her gesture that when she first suggested it, he had stopped her mid-sentence, picking her up and swinging her around like she had just agreed to go to Prom with him. It was also her idea to have his middle name be Charles. Chuck was initially against it, but Sarah had been so adamant, he had relented. She told him that she knew his son was going to remind her of him, she knew he was going to have a full head of brown curls and those Bartowski brown eyes. She told him that if his middle name wasn't going to be Charles, then he wasn't going to have a middle name. Chuck knew he was never going to win this argument with his wife. Of course, she knew that too.

"Chuck, I want to name him Stephen not only because it was your dad's name, but because of the kind of man he was. If our son can take after his dad or grandpa in any way, I'll be the happiest mother alive. You and your dad taught me that the most important thing in life is family. And I never want our son to forget that. Or where, and who, he came from." Sarah could see the look in Chuck's eyes. That look of being so in awe of his wife, and still so loving.

"Wow, Sarah, that was…eloquent."

"What can I say? I…am an articulate…housewife?"

"Lucky for me." Chuck smiled at her.

They both burst out laughing, remembering that the last time they had this conversation, they were talking about her father. That had been during the mission to take down Sheik Rajeev Ahmad, trying to con him with Sarah's dad. It was such an early time in their relationship, and now Sarah couldn't help but smile that now, almost four years later, here they are talking about what to name their first child.

**2017. Castle. **

It was quiet in Castle. The kids were on the couch watching TV, while their parents stood in the doorway, arms around one another's waist, silently taking in the scene.

Their peace was suddenly and thoroughly interrupted when the elevator door suddenly flew open.

"CHUCK! CHUCK! CHUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Morgan was almost jumping down the stairs. Chuck had never seen his best friend looking this panicked. Not since grade school and bullies.

"Morgan what is it buddy? Calm down, talk to us." Chuck and Sarah had closed the glass door to the den so the kids wouldn't hear them talking to Morgan.

"She's gone Chuck. She's gone. I lost her."

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other, having a conversation with one quick glance. They both had the same thought. Alex.

"Slow down, Morgan, tell us what happened." Sarah put her hand on Morgan's arm, willing him to lower his heart rate.

"She's gone and it's all my fault."

"They kidnapped my wife."


	3. Explanations

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for the great reviews! I'm having a ton of fun writing this story. I have a general idea of the plot, but I find that when I start writing, I just let it go where it takes me. Things start to pick up a bit for the gang in this chapter, and there's a pretty lengthy flashback fluff Charah scene. I love writing the flashback scenes. It's what I would have liked to see happen after the series finale. Let me know if you guys have any ideas or anything! Thanks! R/R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, but I could pwn him in CoD. **

_"Slow down, Morgan, tell us what happened." Sarah put her hand on Morgan's arm, willing him to lower his heart rate._

_"She's gone and it's all my fault."_

_"They kidnapped my wife."_

"Morgan, what do you mean _kidnapped_?" Chuck simply didn't want to believe it was true.

"Chuck, she's gone." Morgan was starting to break down now. Sarah knew she had to get him to talk now, while it was still fresh, if they had any chance of figuring this out.

"Morgan, please, I know it's tough. Remember when Chuck got kidnapped by the Belgian? You were the one that got me to talk. You were the one that got me to realize that I had to be strong for Chuck, to get him back. You were a big reason I got through that. Now I need you to trust us. We're going to get her back. You'd better believe that. She's family. Now take a deep breath, slow down, calm down, and tell us everything." Sarah had slowly been moving to Morgan's side while she spoke. She put a hand on his shoulder. "I know Morgan, it's the worst feeling in the world. To know that the one you love is in danger and you're not there to help them. But we need to do what we can from here, right now, if we're going to get her back. And we will."

Chuck had pretty much spaced out for the last minute, deep in his own thoughts. How could this happen? They got out of the spy game for this very reason - to keep their loved ones, their family, safe. He thought that they had tied up all of their "loose ends" years ago. Who was doing this? Where was she?

Sarah noticed Chuck, and when she finally caught his eye, Chuck knew the look. He nodded slightly to Sarah, and he was back.

"Ok buddy. Let's hear it. Every detail." Chuck looked directly at Morgan.

"Ok. Here it is." Morgan looked down at the floor.

"I woke up this morning and she wasn't in the bed. I've gone through it a million times in my head, and I know for a fact we went to bed together around one a.m. I thought she had already left for work, and so I didn't think much about it. I got up and started to make myself some coffee and breakfast. I couldn't shake a weird feeling that something was wrong, though. It's rare that she goes to work without either waking me up to say goodbye, leaving a note, or sometimes even leaving me some breakfast. I decided to call her, to say good morning, and ask where she went. So I pulled out my iPhone and called her. Her phone went straight to voicemail. It never goes straight to voicemail….."

Morgan had started to tear up telling them his story. Sarah reassured him, putting her arm around his shoulder.

"It's ok Morgan. Get it out. It helps."

"Thanks Sarah. So I decided then to call her work, to see if they could grab her and put her on the phone. They said they hadn't seen her at all this morning, and she wasn't even supposed to go in until after lunch. That's when I really started to panic. I started running around the house, tearing it apart, looking for anything. A clue. A note. Anything, something. That's when I found this."

Morgan pulled out a small yellow piece of paper out of his pocket. He handed it to Sarah, who walked over to Chuck to read it with him.

**Mr. Grimes-**

**We have your wife.**

**Do not contact the police or your other "former employer".**

**I hope your friends can get you out of this one.**

**We will contact you soon.**

"Oh boy." It was all Chuck could get out.

"Yeah. This just got interesting." Sarah was looking at the note, then back to Chuck, then back to the note.

"Morgan, buddy, I hate to say this, and I know you're going to be mad, but I think this might be about us." Chuck was boring a hole into Morgan's eyes with his own. Asking him silently to trust him.

Morgan stared back at Chuck. He just kept staring, and Chuck didn't break the gaze.

"You're wrong Chuck. This isn't about you. This is about us. We're a team, we're a family. Let's get my wife back." Morgan had never been more serious than he was in this moment in time.

"You boys realize we haven't been on a mission in almost five years right?" Leave it to Sarah to point out the obvious, critical points. "We're going to need some help."

"Do we really have to call him?" Morgan was terrified of the prospect.

"Morgan, I understand your hesitancy. Telling your father-in-law his daughter got kidnapped out of your marital bed without you knowing is bad enough. It makes it that much worse when your father-in-law happens to be John Casey." Chuck didn't realize exactly what he had just said.

"CHUCK! Apologize right now!" Sarah was furious at Chuck. How could he say something so mean to Morgan at a time like this?

Chuck looked at his best friend, an embarrassed, apologetic look on his face.

"It's ok Chuck. I know you were trying to make me laugh. But still, this is really going to suck. I hope I get to keep all of my appendages. But we have to do it. For Alex." Morgan was being surprisingly stoic, considering the situation. He had really grown in the past five years.

The three of them were silent for a moment, each pondering what Casey's reaction was going to be. How many body bags are they going to have to buy? Better go to Large Mart and get them in bulk…

**2012. Echo Park.**

Chuck woke to his favorite sight in the world. Lying in bed, on his back, the sun peeking through the blinds, a mop of curly blonde hair on his chest. He could tell she was also awake, but trying to savor the last few moments of peace before their day started. It was their favorite moment of everyday. They actually felt "normal", or at least their definition, for a fleeting moment. They had both come to the realization a long time before that their lives would never be normal, but they were OK with that. All they truly needed was currently in their bed.

Sarah was contemplating their life. How they were going to move forward. How was he going to react? He really had come to love the spy life. She never thought, in a million years, that it would be her trying to convince him to quit the spy life for their family. She had always thought that she was the one more attached to the spy life. To the adrenaline, the rush. She had also learned to never count Chuck out. Right when she thinks she has him figured out, he would always surprise her.

"Chuck." She slowly turned her head to look at her husband, who seemed awake but groggy.

"Morning baby." He used his right hand to rub his eyes, then opened them, looking down at her, love in his eyes.

"Chuck, do you remember right before you got taken by Quinn, what we talked about in the morning?" Chuck was caught off guard. It was usually him who started the "deep" relationship conversations, especially the ones that took place in bed.

"You mean quitting the spy life?" He remembered their conversation. Sarah had almost shot the paper boy, and surprised him by blurting out: "I want to quit the spy life."

"Yeah that one. I was serious about that. I think it's time." She looked at him, knowing that she had to give him a minute to process, decide the best course of action, choose his words, think of their repercussions, change his answer, think of how she would react, then go back to his original answer.

"Ok." That took her by surprise.

"You don't want to talk about it? I mean, you always want to talk…about…..anything."

"No we don't need to talk about it. We're done."

As soon as he had began his sentence, she had started to move up his chest towards him, and by the time he said the word "done" her face was inches away from his. Chuck knew that look. He took her face in his hands and gave her a searing kiss, a kiss for their future, a kiss that told her everything was going to be OK, he was right here and he wasn't going anywhere.

They slowly parted and she rested her forehead against his, letting out a relaxed sigh.

"For some reason, I thought that was going to be harder." She told Chuck, her eyes closed.

"Sarah, come on baby. You know that I don't care what we do, as long as it's you and me. We could have the most boring jobs in the world, in the most boring town, and I would still be the happiest goof in the world. How could I not be, with you by my side?"

"Or on top of you….." Sarah was grinning like a lovesick teenager.

Three hours and almost a full palette of Poland Spring bottled waters later, they were in almost the exact same position, albeit much more tired.

"So I think we need to shut down Carmichael Industries." Before Chuck had even the slightest chance to reply, Sarah continued. "Hear me out sweetie. I still think our idea for countering cyber-terrorism can work. It's a great idea. With your, well, hacker skills, and my, well, experience in.."

"International bad-guyery." Chuck supplied.

"Yeah. With our….unique…..skill sets I think we would be a very effective team. Of course Morgan and Casey will be there too, just like we talked abut. I think we should get an office downtown, like we talked about, but I also think we need to keep Castle."

"Why? I thought you wanted to get rid of it?" Chuck was honestly curious.

"Yeah I did too. But I was thinking about it. I think it would be nice to have it, just in case. And we could use for….stuff we shouldn't really do in an open office building. I'm not talking about spy stuff, I just think with our track records and our lives we can never be too careful."

"Ok so we keep Castle. It's a good idea. We can re-design it for our needs. That'll be fun."

"Good. Now we need to talk about one more important issue." Chuck looked at Sarah, not knowing what to expect.

"Chuck relax. It's just that we need to come up with a name for our new company." Sarah playfully hit him in the chest. "Got any ideas?"

"Hmm that's a tough one. OK. Countering cyber-terrorism. We should come up with something that shows we're going to protect our clients. But I also think we need to show our peaceful, or rather, more-pure-than-our-constantly-gray-spy-lives, intentions." Chuck was putting a lot of thought into this. Sarah knew he would.

"Good points baby." Sarah smiled at Chuck, and then they both looked into space, thinking.

"What about WhiteFence?" Chuck asked. "I mean, I got the idea from our dream home." Sarah couldn't' help but let a radiant smile escape. Not only had he called it "their" dream home, but he had said it so casually, like it had always been his idea of a dream home. It made her swell with pride and love for her husband. Chuck continued: "So fence because we're protecting, kind of like a firewall. White, obviously, because of it's pure connotation, like you on our wedding day." He paused for a moment, thinking back to their wedding day. Sarah in her white wedding dress. Chuck constantly asking his groomsmen to pinch him, because he couldn't wrap his head around the fact that it was real. Sarah, after all, had been clinging to life mere hours before. But he knew she would make it through. She was the toughest person he had ever met.

"Chuck….Chuck…CHUCK!" Sarah was hitting him, trying to bring his attention back to her.

"Sorry Sarah. I was spacing out thinking about our wedding day." He smiled an almost naughty grin at her.

"Chuck I think WhiteFence is a great name. How about WhiteFence Diagnostics?" She asked.

"Great idea baby! That's our new company. WhiteFence Diagnostics." Chuck was simply beaming.

"Now that we've got that out of the way, tell me what you were just thinking Chuck. About our wedding." She pleaded with her eyes.

"I was thinking about how unreal it was. You were so close to…..death. I didn't think we were going to make it to the wedding, at least not on time."

"I did." She simply replied.

"Huh?" Chuck looked confused.

"Chuck I was in and out of consciousness in the hospital while you were out getting the antidote. I could hear everyone talking around me. Ellie sobbing at my bedside quietly. Morgan telling me stories about how you had saved his butt countless times. And the entire time I could only think one singular, solitary thought in that hospital bed."

Chuck was running his hand through her hair, giving her his full attention.

"What was that thought baby?" Chuck asked, hoping she would continue.

"That I knew you'd come." She stated matter-of-factly. Chuck was speechless. She continued: "I knew you were going to save me. I knew you were coming back for me. I knew we were going to be married. Because no matter what happens, no matter what comes between us, one simple fact always remains."

She paused, boring a hole into his eyes with hers. She then simply said:

"This might sound cheesy or corny. We simply love each other too much for it to end like that."

They were lucky it was a Sunday, because they didn't end up getting out of bed until close to three p.m.

**2017. Castle. **

"OK guys." Chuck called for Sarah and Morgan to come gather around his computer station. He had immediately set about retracing the morning electronically, trying to find any glimpse, picture, screen shot, or video of Alex and/or her captors.

"This is all I could find. It's a traffic cam four blocks from your house, Morgan." The three of them watched his screen. On it, they saw the regular goings-on of a typical Los Angeles intersection. Chuck then froze the frame. In the middle of the intersection was a white Mercedes van. Not all that different from their own surveillance van. "This van has got to be how they got her out," Chuck said, continuing, "they seem to know where the cameras are because this the only good shot I could find in a twenty block radius. I'm running the driver through Facial Recognition but there aren't any hits yet. The plates were stolen off of another van at an Enterprise Rent-A-Car early this morning. I've asked them for their security footage, I should have it soon."

Morgan had been watching and listening intently to Chuck, taking it all in. After a few seconds of contemplation, he asked:

"What's our next move?"

"Well, I left a message for Casey, so he should be getting back to us soon." Sarah told both of them.

"Morgan, I promise you, wherever she is, we'll find her, and we'll bring her home." Chuck put his hand on Morgan's shoulder, willing him to believe, to not give up. Morgan began to grin.

"Why are you smiling buddy!" Chuck asked incredulously.

"I said almost the same thing word for word to Sarah when you got kidnapped Chuck." Morgan answered, sharing a small laugh with Sarah.

"Well it was true then, and it's true now boys." Sarah stated as if it was common knowledge.

All of a sudden, Sarah's iPhone began to ring. They all cringed when they head the ringtone. "Run Through The Jungle" by Credence Clearwater Revival blared through the phone's speakers. Chuck had chosen it, as he thought it perfectly represented what life was like with him.

Casey.


	4. The New Intersect

**A/N: I wrote this chapter to briefly get into my ideas about the Intersect after Chuck downloads it at the end of the series. This will tie into the bigger plot line, but I wanted to briefly show what it can do and how much Chuck learned about it. I will get back to the story next chapter. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, but I could pwn him in CoD. **

The Intersect that Chuck downloaded using the key was highly advanced compared to the 2.0. Chuck soon found himself engrossed in attempting to dissect the Intersect. He wanted to learn exactly how it functioned, especially its relationship with his conscious mind, and see if he could improve it, help it evolve. He was constantly e-mailing back and forth with Ellie. He considered his older sister the foremost expert on the Intersect and the brain, and he recruited her to help him. He would get FMRI scans, CT scans, and undergo rigorous psychological and physical tests (always under his sister's or Sarah's supervision or directions - they simply didn't trust any outsiders). Sarah at first was hesitant about Chuck's plan. After quite a few heated conversations, she came around to his point of view. He wanted to turn the Intersect into something new, albeit much more powerful, and despite her misgivings, she was going to support him.

They eventually discovered the exact pathway a flash took. How it began in the Intersect, and, navigating through Chuck's brain, integrated into Chuck's consciousness. By tracing the flash's journey, they were able to pinpoint exactly how they could shorten the flash's trip. This enabled them to expedite the amount of time it took Chuck to physically download a flash down to about a blink of an eye. Sarah was the only person besides Chuck who could now notice when he flashed. It was so quick, and his facial features changed suddenly and subtly. She was the only one who knew his body language intimately enough to discern the difference between Chuck blinking and Chuck flashing.

Chuck discovered something else while studying Intersect code. He found that, with some tweaks to the current code, he could teach himself to communicate with the Intersect. Coupled with what his dad had taught him about controlling his flashes, Chuck began to understand how powerful this new Intersect really could be.

The first time Chuck had to use the Intersect with his new discoveries in a real-life situation wasn't on a mission. The country's population was not in danger. It happened on a date. Of course it would. It happened about four months after the downloaded the Intersect.

Chuck and Sarah had gone out to dinner, and had originally planned to see a movie afterwards. However, they spent so long at the restaurant just talking and enjoying each other's company, they decided to blow off the movies and go for a walk. Hand in hand, they walked and walked and walked until they ended up in a not-so-nice part of town. Neither of them gave it any thought, however, considering how highly trained they both were. Not to mention what Chuck could do literally in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, in front of them stood a hooded figure, face shrouded in a ski mask. Pointing a gun at them.

"Evening, folks. You can call me Joe, and that's Jim and Jake." The mystery person sounded like they were a twenty-something year old man.

Chuck and Sarah heard a couple of low coughs behind them, and quickly glanced back, spotting two other similarly dressed figures. They weren't holding guns, but it was obvious they were supposed to be intimidating. At least that's what they were intended to do.

Chuck spoke first, "Evening sir. How may we help you?"

"Well you can start by putting your hands where we can see them." Chuck and Sarah complied slowly.

"Good. Now I was going to simply rob you two, but now that I take a look at your companion here, I can't help but to let my bad side get in a couple suggestions." He snickered a bit, and looked Sarah up and down. She stared daggers at him.

"How do you boys feel about that? Should we teach this guy a lesson about protecting his girl?" He asked his two compadres. They both grunted loudly in approval.

Sarah decided she had to warn them of the consequences of their intended actions.

"Gentlemen. I can assure you that attempting to lay a finger on me would result in your night's getting much worse very quickly, not to mention the fact that there's a good chance you wouldn't get that finger back." She couldn't have been more serious or more smug in her statement.

The men didn't seem deterred. In fact, Joe took it as an opportunity to taunt Chuck.

"You gonna stop me, huh big guy? I'd like to see that day. Now I'm gonna teach your girl here a pretty good lesson. She's quite a looker. I truly hate to mess up that face. How do you feel about that?"

Chuck was silent this whole time. He was trying to stem his anger. If he let his anger get the best of him now, he would feel the Intersect pleading with him to download.

Suddenly Chuck sensed a shift in Joe's body language. He could sense he was preparing to raise his arm to strike Sarah. That was all it took.

Chuck reached back into his mind and asked the Intersect for kung-fu and krav maga. In an instant the download began. Chuck could feel it coursing through his body, beginning in his brain and extending down to all his extremities.

Chuck opened his eyes after the flash ended. It had only been a millisecond since Joe had begun to raise his arm. Chuck instantly reached out with his right arm, grabbing Joe's wrist while his arm was still reaching across his body, level with his navel. Chuck twisted his wrist and Joe's muscles betrayed him, dropping his gun.

At this point, Chuck was debating with the Intersect as to the next course of action. The Intersect proposed incapacitating Joe by knocking him unconscious. Chuck disagreed. He decided to inflict pain.

Chuck reached out with his left hand and grabbed Joe's arm at the elbow. Using both his hands, he instantly shattered Joe's lower arm, breaking it in three separate places. As soon as Joe began to cry out in pain, Chuck reached higher up on his arm and dislocated it completely from Joe's shoulder. Joe's knees buckled. Chuck wasn't done with him yet though. This man was moments away from pistol whipping his wife. Not to mention what he had told Chuck he was going to do to her. Chuck twisted Joe's arm so he was almost squatting, completely at Chuck's mercy.

Chuck had a quick discussion with the Intersect, and decided that while he would love to spend some time showing Joe how a man protects his wife, he was technically on a date. So Chuck decided to end the encounter, however he decided that Joe deserved a bit more pain before it was said and done.

Without thinking, Chuck lifted up his right leg, kicking the right side of Joe's right kneecap with incredible force, shattering it. Chuck released his grips, and Joe crumpled to the ground. Curling up into the fetal position, he barely could get a whimper out.

Chuck had almost forgotten about the two other assailants, but then realized that they had fled sometime in between Chuck breaking Joe's arm and Chuck giving Joe a permanent limp. Chuck reached down and picked up Joe's gun. He handed it to Sarah and simply said:

"Here honey, I won you this."

Sarah couldn't help but laugh. She was literally grinning from ear to ear.

She looked him dead in the eye and said, "Thank you for defending my honor, sweetheart." She put her new gun in her purse. Sarah slowly bent down until she was inches away from Joe's head. She looked him in the eye, and he stopped whimpering for a second.

"I told you so," she said in a serious tone. He slightly nodded. She got back up and stood next to her husband.

They immediately linked their hands back together, stepped over Joe, and continued their date.

Later that night, Sarah asked Chuck about the fight. Well, you couldn't really call it much of a fight. More of a beat down.

"Chuck, when you flashed tonight, did it happen automatically or did you do it?" She asked him earnestly.

He looked at her and replied, "I initiated it. Not only was there no way I was letting him get near touching you, but I was kinda curious to give the Intersect a test run."

"And…."

"It was amazing Sarah. I know it happens so fast in real time, but when it's going down, it seems so slow. I mean, I don't do any of those moves without a thorough discussion with the Intersect, deciding the course of action. I weigh the odds, see the consequences, and choose the best way to accomplish my goal. That's not to say that sometimes I do stuff with the Intersect because of how damn cool it is. I mean, who wouldn't want to learn how to incapacitate someone with one finger? I mean how awesome is that?"

"You know, Chuck, if you wanted to know how to incapacitate someone with a finger, you could've asked me. I could have you unconscious in less than five seconds ten different ways right now, and we're snuggling on the couch."

"That is incredibly sexy, and a little frightening babe." Chuck couldn't help but stroke her face. She might be a trained assassin, but she's his wife.

She puckered her lips, inviting him with her eyes. He bent down and gave her a sideways kiss, making them both giggle a little bit.

"Take me to bed Mr. Bartowski. I'm tired after our exciting date tonight. We have quit the track record with our dates don't we?" She barely got out the last sentence, yawning through it.

"You got that right, Mrs. Bartowski. Let's go." He gently picked her up and cradled her in his arms. He began to slowly make his way to their bedroom. She instinctually reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, lacing her fingers together. She smiled up at him, which caused him to blush and grin. He wasn't going to ever let anyone hurt her. Never again.


	5. Groovin' Slowly

**A/N: I appreciate all the great feedback. I initially wrote the last chapter as a one-shot, but I decided to make it a chapter in this story because I like the idea of Chuck being able to evolve the Intersect. I'm sorry if some of you thought Chuck was a little aggressive. I know we all fell in love with the bumbling, nerdy Chuck, but the way I see it, he's grown up a lot since then, and I wanted to show how Chuck can turn into a different person when the Intersect is turned on. I'm going to get back to the main plot line now. There is a pretty hefty chunk of Charah fluff, but i'm having such a good time showing how I think their relationship progresses. Let me know what you think. The song is "Groovin Slowly" by the John Butler Trio. One of my faves. Thanks everyone! R/R!**

The three of them would know that grunt anywhere. It was a number 10 - complete, uninhibited anger and rage. They had been on speakerphone with Casey for all of thirty seconds before he had threatened all of their lives, lambasted Morgan for his lack of home security, and finally, calmed down enough to actually listen to what Sarah was trying to tell him.

"Casey, you need to think like an agent, not a pissed off father," Sarah was trying her best to calm Casey. She knew it was most likely a futile effort. He had said almost the same thing to her, about acting like an agent rather than a worried girlfriend, when Chuck was taken by the Belgian all those years ago.

"The three of you need to get your asses in gear. I'm going to be there in six hours. You'd better have some intel for me when I get there." Casey wasn't asking.

"Will do Casey. Where are you flying in from?" Chuck asked.

"Bolivia. Gertrude and I were taking of some time and hunting some cartel jamokes. We're getting on the Gulfstream in ten minutes. Wait for us in Castle." With that, Casey grunted and hung up the phone before anyone could say anything else.

"Well, that went better than I thought," Morgan commented. "I honestly thought he would somehow find a way to reach through the phone and rip one of my limbs clean off." In any other situation, Morgan would be joking. But given the current circumstances, he could not have been more serious.

"Morgan everything's going to be fine. Casey gets it. He was an agent for a lot of years. He just needs some time to process it. Don't worry." Sarah was truly trying to comfort Morgan. He looked so nervous.

"Sarah's right buddy. Let's go find some intel so he doesn't blow a gasket when he gets here." Chuck knew from experience that they had to keep working. He knew that in kidnapping cases like this, the only way to keep sane while a loved one was in danger was to keep busy, keep hope alive, and keep on trucking. He also knew Morgan would, given the chance, wallow in self-pity and guilt if they let him. Chuck became determined to keep his best friend from going down that long, lonely road.

They quietly went to work. Chuck began furiously hacking into all kinds of databases, looking for any clues as to who would be behind this. He even asked the Intersect if there was any recent intel or chatter regarding Alex or their group as a whole. The Intersect sadly reported in the negative to Chuck. Morgan and Sarah continued, per Chuck's suggestion, to go through traffic cams, ATM cams, and any other surveillance they could think of, hoping for a break. Sarah knew that it was probably useless, but they needed to keep Morgan occupied for the time being.

**2013. Echo Park.**

Chuck was exhausted. Physically, mentally, spiritually exhausted. He never knew a pregnant woman could be _so_ much work. But that's love.

"CHUCK!"

He dragged himself off the couch and trudged down the hallway to their bedroom. Sarah was on her back on the bed, bowl of ice cream on her chest, watching TV.

"Yes my darling?" Chuck tried to put his happiest face on. Sarah saw right through it.

"I dropped the remote Chuck." Sarah looked up at him, giving him that sexy, smoldering look she knew her husband had almost no defense for.

Chuck walked around the bed and found the remote literally three feet away from Sarah on the floor. He bent down, picked it up, and put it on Sarah's night stand. He looked down at his wife. She was watching something on TV intently, furrowing her brow in the slightest, slowly eating her double scoop of Rocky Road. Chuck's world froze. He could not help but stare. Six months pregnant, a prominent baby bump almost prevented her from even seeing the television. In his eyes, she had never been more beautiful. She was carrying their child. After a minute, she noticed he had not moved and turned her gaze up to Chuck. His eyes were fixated on her belly.

"Honey." Sarah tried to get his attention. It failed.

"Charles Irving Bartowski." Nothing.

"CHUCK!" That worked. He snapped out of it and slowly smiled at her. He bent down and gently pressed his lips to hers. He could feel her smile at his kiss.

"There you are baby. Thought I lost you for a second there." Sarah had grabbed Chuck's lapel to prevent him from going anywhere. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Sorry Sarah. I'm just so tired. I know that I shouldn't complain, but it's the truth. I'm sorry. I know what you're going through is much worse. I'll stop whining." Chuck couldn't help but avert his eyes as he spoke. He sincerely felt guilty that he was complaining while she was the one who was pregnant.

"Chuck. Stop it. You have every right to be tired. I know I've been demanding of you, and you have been nothing short of fantastic. But to be honest I expected nothing less from the man I married." Ever since Sarah's memories had came back, she had been so much more open and honest with Chuck. He loved the new side of her.

"I know Sarah. It's just that sometimes I feel like you got the short end of the stick. I mean you're six months pregnant, and I'm, well, me." Chuck had knelt down so he was at eye-level with Sarah. "And sometimes for those few seconds after I wake up, I think I'm dreaming. I look at you, and I look at your belly and our child, and I have to pinch myself. It's so surreal to have the love of my life next to me every day, never mind the fact that in three months we're going to be parents." Both of them had begun to well up during Chuck's impromptu speech.

"Chuck I'm the one who is living a dream. Six years ago I never thought that I would ever be here, much less so soon. Even though deep down I knew this was what I wanted, it took me a long time to realize it was what I deserved. And I would never have come to that conclusion if it wasn't for you, Chuck. Sometimes I slip back into thinking I don't deserve this. Don't deserve you…." Sarah began to quietly sob. Damn pregnancy hormones.

"Sarah don't you ever think that!" She flinched for second. Chuck had raised his voice slightly. "You deserve more than I can ever give you. I know I say this all the time, but it's the truth. Now let's stop this self-depreciating and enjoy the weekend." She smiled at him through her tears.

He silently moved around to his side of the bed and laid down next to Sarah. She put her ice cream bowl on the night stand, grabbed the remote, and shut the TV off. Chuck grabbed his Apple remote and began scanning through his iTunes on his computer. He settled on one his "Chuck + Sarah" playlists, and put it on shuffle. The first song was one of his favorites - "Groovin' Slowly" by John Butler Trio.

As soon as Sarah heard the first few notes of the song, she knew it. She silently stood up. Chuck shot her a questioning look.

"Chuck, dance with me." It wasn't a question or a request.

She was so pregnant it was almost impossible to dance face-to-face, so she put her back into Chuck's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and she put her hands on top of his. They began to sway to the music. No words were needed to express how they felt. The song did it for them.

**Beautiful woman, so sexy**

**Come shake that bottom over, over to me**

**Feel that one drop, feel that skank**

**Brother B playing that Hip Hop**

**It better than a, money in the bank**

**Lights are low, moon is high**

**I want you to know**

**That you're the brightest star in my sky and**

Chuck was much more relaxed now than he was five minutes ago. It still amazed him how she could calm him down so easily with so few words. It was a testament to how deep their love ran, how easy it was for them to communicate non-verbally.

**I'm groovin' slowly**

**With my woman**

**Groovin' slowly**

**With my wo-man**

Sarah hadn't felt this happy and at ease in weeks. Sure, the pregnancy was tough. But she was tougher. She thought about how, a couple years ago, the thought of having kids terrified her. Scared her to her core. Now, with Chuck, it not only seemed logical, it felt right. She knew this was where she was supposed to be. It was where she belonged. It may have taken her a while to realize, but she knew Chuck would wait for her. Every other man in her life could be counted on to do one thing - leave. Chuck was truly the first person in Sarah's life that she _knew _would never leave her. Would always wait for her. She smiled at the thought.

**I want you to know girl**

**I want you to feel**

**I want to show you**

**That my love is real**

**I want you to see girl**

**You're the brightest star that shines**

**Even though there is no forever**

**I'm gonna love you 'til the end of time**

They both loved this part of the song. The first time Chuck had played it for her, in a situation not dissimilar to this one, he had looked her straight in the eye during this stanza. Telling her with his eyes that every word was true. She was the brightest star in his life. She was it for him. And he was it for her.

When the song ended, they stood still, holding one another, in blissful silence. They knew that once their baby was born, moments like this would be few and far between, so they had learned to cherish them when they came.

They made love that night. Chuck was so gentle and sweet, and was constantly worried about the baby. Sarah almost would have been frustrated, if Chuck hadn't been so cute and innocent about it. Afterwards, while they were cuddling, she looked up at him and caught his eye. No words needed to be spoken. They fell asleep gazing into one another's eyes.

**2017. Castle. **

Casey tried not to rush down into Castle. He still needed to be professional. He understood that the line between professional and personal was incredibly blurred. But he also knew that he had been one of the world's best at this. He was going to need all of his experience if he was going to get his family through this one. He sighed. He still couldn't believe he now considered Morgan Grimes, off all people, family. Morgan made his daughter happy. That was good enough for Casey.

"Bartowski! What have you got for me?" Casey demanded before he was even at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey Casey. Where's Verbanski?" Chuck looked around and didn't see her anywhere.

"She's at her headquarters trying to figure this out from her end. See if she can't find any intel. Now, I ask you again, what have you got for me?"

Chuck and Sarah showed Casey the still from the traffic cam they had found, and the note the kidnappers had left Morgan. Casey studied the note and frowned.

"It had to be her. I swear, Grimes, if I find out this happened because of something you did, there's not a hole you could hide from me in." Morgan had been silent up until now, terrified of his father-in-law.

Chuck stepped in before things escalated. "Casey, Casey, Casey. We think this has to do with all of us, not just Morgan and Alex. With the laundry list of people we took down when we worked for the government, it could be anyone. Sarah and I have been going through our old mission reports but we haven't had anything stand out yet. It could be from one of our off-books missions though, and we all know how dangerous some of those were." Sarah and Casey nodded their heads in acknowledgement. They had been America's go-to Black Ops team for close to four years. Small countries didn't have as many enemies as these three.

"Okay, okay, okay." Casey was trying to process everything. "Bartowski, I know you guys haven't been on a mission in years, but I need to ask you, are you with me on this?" Casey looked at Chuck.

Chuck scoffed. "Really Casey? You have to ask? Alex is family. We're going to do anything and everything in our power to get her back home safe, and to do it soon."

Casey took a deep breath, and said something Chuck and Sarah rarely, if ever, heard John Casey say. "Thank you."

They went back to work, looking for intel, clues, anything to lead them to Alex. Chuck, in the back of his mind, knew that they probably weren't going to get a break until they were contacted by the kidnappers. That is, if they wanted something. And Chuck had a feeling they did.

There hours later, with minimal progress made, they took a coffee break. Sitting in the conference room in Castle, the four friends sat slowly and quietly sipping from their mugs. Suddenly, Chuck's phone began to dance across the table, ringing.

They all looked down at his iPhone at the caller ID. It read "Unavailable".

Chuck motioned for Sarah to start running a trace, and she hopped up and ran to nearest computer. After about three seconds, she gave Chuck the thumbs-up.

"Chuck Bartowski." He answered the phone slightly hesitant.

"Hello Mr. Bartowski." The voice on the other end of the line sounded scrambled. Even if Chuck knew the person calling, he could never have recognized their voice. He couldn't even decipher whether it was a male or a female. They continued, "We have Alex Grimes. She is well and unhurt. We will send you proof of life via e-mail. Ten minutes after that we will send you our demands. We expect them to be met with no resistance. I'm sure you know the drill, Mr. Bartowski. Follow our instructions, or Mrs. Grimes meets an untimely, slow, and painful death." The line went dead.

Casey was literally steaming from the ears. Chuck looked at him and silently willed him to calm down. Casey sat down and began to field strip his Sig, calming him for the moment.

Sarah looked up from the computer, and from her face, Chuck knew they weren't able to trace the call.

Ten minutes later they got proof of life. It was a JPEG of Alex. She looked relatively unharmed. She held up a copy of today's New York Times to prove they had taken the picture recently.

Chuck instantly realized if he could examine the newspaper in the photo closer, he might be able to at least get an idea of the geographical area they were holding Alex in. He immediately got to work.

A few minutes later, and Chuck received another e-mail from the same untraceable address as the proof of life.

They all slowly read the demands, and silently looked at each other, dread on their faces. Chuck broke the silence after a couple minutes.

"Well, guys, looks like this just got a hell of a lot more dangerous."

They all nodded.


	6. Demands

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN CHUCK. **

The kidnapper's demands were sent via a video sent through Chuck's e-mail. The figure in the video was in the shadows, and the screen itself had been scrambled, as well as the audio. Chuck immediately began running diagnostics on the video to glean any information he could from it.

Their demands were actually pretty simple. They didn't want money. Too bad, Chuck and Sarah had plenty of that. Their demands were, rather, to see the team in person. Face to face. They promised once the team showed up at the appointed place and at the appointed time, all would be "explained" and Alex would be released. It wasn't that any of them were afraid to show their faces - they would do just about anything to get Alex back. It was the fact that Chuck and Sarah had two small children now. It was the fact that Casey was the only one who had even been on a mission in the last four and a half years. It was the fact that they would be walking into a situation where they didn't control the meeting place, had no idea how many foes they would be facing, and had not the faintest idea what was wanted of them. Not to mention the fact they had turned their high-tech armory into a family den.

There was one good piece of news though. Chuck had run all kinds of tests on the picture of Alex, and he had figured something out. By blowing up the picture, focusing on the newspaper, and sharpening the image, he was able to make out a few words next to "THE NEW YORK TIMES". He read it out loud to the group - "New England Edition". Chuck explained that the Times had different versions of their dailies for different parts of the country - the west coast, the midwest, the South, and New England. Now they at least could narrow their search down to the six states that constitute New England - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. He altered all of his automated searches to use the new parameters, and suggested they go back through their mission files, to look for anything related to the Northeast.

"What about that snatch-and-grab we did in Boston in 2009?" Sarah was browsing through mission files from when Chuck had the 2.0. They had been sent to Massachusetts to kidnap a Real IRA terrorist who was visiting family on the south side of the city.

"No, we were wearing masks, and even if he knew who we were, we grabbed him on the street at four in the morning. And he's been in prison ever since." Chuck's answer made sense, and Sarah moved on.

"OK, what about when we aborted that hijacking and I had to land a 737 at that tiny airport in Maine?" Sarah asked.

"No I think that's another dead end. Those, what were they, Hamas terrorists, thought we were FBI. They never even got our names. And I'm pretty sure they were extradited to Israel last year." Again, Chuck makes sense.

"Well maybe we're looking at this from the wrong point of view," Sarah suggested. "Maybe we need to think personal, because this sure seems personal. Maybe this is someone from one of our pasts who is still, I don't know, holding a huge grudge."

"Well it can't be Shaw. He's still in solitary after the last time I kicked his ass." Chuck said, smiling.

"Saving me, I might add." Sarah was blushing as she praised her husband.

They paused for a moment to remember that hectic Christmas five years ago. Shaw had tried to force Sarah watch him kill Chuck. Sarah knew Chuck had a plan, he always does. She never lost faith in him, and boy did he prove her right. His plan was nothing short of magnificent. Shaw had spent two years in prison perfecting his "perfect plan" and Chuck figured it out in a matter of minutes. Shaw never learned his lesson - that Chuck Bartowski was simply a better spy than him.

"So who else is there?" Chuck pondered.

**2013. Echo Park.**

Chuck and Sarah were relaxing on their couch, watching a movie, when Morgan burst through the front door. This was unusual for two reasons. First, it was incredibly rare for Morgan to use the front door. Second, he was supposed to be on a romantic date with Alex tonight. Chuck looked up at his best friend and feared for him momentarily. That is, until he saw the smile on Morgan's face.

"I did it!" Morgan exclaimed.

"Did what, buddy?" Chuck's attention had momentarily turned back to the television.

"CHUCK! This is important!" Morgan was desperately trying to get Chuck to pay attention to him. Chuck slowly turned his head to look up at Morgan.

"I did it. I asked her." Chuck and Sarah took one look at each other and smiled. They had been telling Morgan to do this for months. Anybody who spent five minutes with Morgan and Alex knew they were going to end up married, it was just a matter of getting Morgan to work up the nerve to ask. It wasn't so much he was scared of Alex's answer, he was scared of Casey's.

At that moment, Alex came through the front door and was instantly by Morgan's side. She silently held up her left hand, grinning from ear to ear. A simple, but beautiful, diamond ring sat on her ring finger.

Sarah jumped up and enveloped Alex in a huge embrace. Three months pregnant, Sarah had been much more in touch with her feelings lately. Chuck couldn't have been happier. Chuck also got up and gave the newly engaged couple hugs.

"I don't want to ruin the moment here, guys, but what about Casey?" Chuck asked the obvious question.

"I asked him first like you suggested. I was petrified, Chuck. Almost as scared as when Meredith Lester pantsed me in seventh grade. But I laid it out for him…."

_"Grimes what do you want?" Casey was standing at his door, agitated at having to get up in the middle of one of his favorite History Channel shows to answer the door. _

_"I need to talk to you Casey. Can I come in?" Morgan was surprisingly calm._

_"If you must." Casey grunted._

_They walked into the apartment. Casey went over to his small wet bar and poured two glasses of scotch. Neat. He handed one to Morgan._

_"I don't want this Casey. Its ten in the morning."_

_"Drink it." He wasn't asking. Casey had a feeling he was going to need more than just one glass of booze for this conversation. Morgan drank it as fast as he could and set the glass on the coffee table._

_"Casey I have to ask you a really important question. And I know you're probably going to say no, and I get that, but I want you to know how much this means to me."_

_"You want to ask Alex to marry you?" Casey cut right to the chase._

_"Um…yeah….how did you…." Morgan was flustered._

_"I'm a spy moron."_

_"Well, can I? I mean, Casey, may I please have your daughter's hand in marriage? I love Alex and I want to spend the rest of my life showing her. I swear I'll treat her right and make her happy Casey. I promise." He was being incredibly sincere, and it didn't go unnoticed by Casey._

_"Idiot, I was honestly thinking you were going to do this months ago. Stop dragging your feet."_

_"So, you're Ok with it?" Morgan looked up excitedly at Casey._

_"I'm not blind. I see how happy she is with you, for some unknown reason. She's been waiting for you to ask. Don't, and I repeat, don't, screw this up Grimes. She's my daughter. You make her happy and you protect her."_

_"Always Casey! Thank you!" Morgan did not see this conversation going this smoothly in a million years._

_"I'm serious moron. Don't you dare do anything to impede her happiness. If her happiness means I have to suffer through calling you my son-in-law, so be it. One more thing though."_

_"Anything, Casey."_

_"Do it soon. As in tonight. I'm tired of always having to listen to her whine about waiting for you to ask. She's going to say yes. Trust me."_

"Wow." Chuck and Sarah were stunned. Was this the same Casey that Chuck had witnessed kill a man with a radiator to the face?

"Yeah man, i still can't believe it. I mean, we're engaged!" Chuck had never seen Morgan this happy. It made his heart swell.

A bit later, Sarah and Alex were on the couch talking wedding and babies, and Chuck and Morgan were in the kitchen, enjoying a beer and a quiet moment between best friends.

"Chuck?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah buddy?"

"Do you realize that those girls sitting over there are going to spend the rest of their lives with us?" He motioned towards their significant others. "Did you ever think we'd be this lucky?"

"I never thought we could be this fortunate buddy. But we deserve it. And they…." he pointed over to the girls on the couch, "deserve everything we can give to them."

"Wow this got sappy real quick, Chuck."

"Yeah, I guess some of Sarah's pregnancy hormones are rubbing off on me." They both chuckled. "So how did you pop the question?"

"Well, once I got Casey's blessing, I knew I had to do it soon. So at dinner tonight, I waited for the right moment. There was this perfect moment between dinner and desert where she had silently reached over and grabbed my hand, and I knew. So I just got down on one knee and laid it out on the line. I told her I loved her more than anything, that I wanted to be with her forever, and I wasn't taking no for an answer."

"And you didn't."

"No, Chuck, I didn't." The two best friends were grinning like idiots.

"The coolest thing was that the whole restaurant was watching us, and gave us a standing ovation when she said yes. It was like a movie!"

"That is so awesome buddy. I proposed to Sarah in a hospital, and the only witness was a janitor buffing the floor. But all you need…."

"Is the girl." Morgan finished.

**2017. Castle.**

After they received the demands and worked for another four hours, they decided they all needed some well deserved rest. It took about twenty minutes to convince Morgan to go home - he initially refused to leave, claiming that if he stopped looking for her he had failed her. It was finally Casey who got through to him.

"Moron, look at it this way. If you keep working, you're eventually going to break down physically, and then you're of absolutely no use, and where does that get us? We need you to get my daughter back, Grimes. Go home and get some rest. If you can't go home, and I get that, come by my place." Casey had put a reassuring hand on Morgan's shoulder, which surprised everyone.

Casey had, over the past few hours, gone from being totally in his "agent" shell, to a point now where they could tell he was hurting inside. The last time something like this happened to Alex - during the whole bullet train fiasco - Casey had almost lost it. He was lucky they weren't able to even take Alex out of the Buy More parking lot that time. Now they had literally no clue where she was being held. Sarah padded over to where Casey was sitting and quietly sat beside him.

"Casey…." She began.

"I know. I need to think like the old me. That was a long time ago, Sarah." She could tell that he was serious by the simple fact he had called her by her given name. That was rare between the two former partners.

"If anyone knows how you're feeling Casey, it's me. And I know talking has never been your 'thing', but just know that Chuck and I are here for you. Alex is a part of our family, too. We want her back. If only to get Morgan out of our hair…" Her attempt at lightening the situation kind of worked, and Casey actually let out a small chuckle. "We're going to get her back you know. We used to be the best at this, remember? And Chuck still has the Intersect, which, I forgot to tell you, he has improved beyond anything the government ever did."

"What do you mean?" Casey asked, glad for the momentary distraction.

"Chuck has been studying the Intersect ever since he uploaded it. He and Ellie figured out how to shorten his flashes, so he flashes in literally a split second, and he also figured out a way to communicate with the Intersect mid-flash. It's pretty amazing, Casey. He can make conscious decisions about his options in the middle of a flash. You should see him. It's unreal." The pride in her voice was evident, and soon both she and Casey were grinning, thinking about how amazing it was when Chuck would flash on kung-fu or muay-thai and take out a bunch of bad guys. He went from nerd to superhero in the blink of an eye. Like the first time he ever flashed on kung-fu, and took out five Ring agents in the span of about twenty seconds. Or the time he had to re-boot to defeat Shaw, resulting in the Intersect running flawlessly. Both times, he was fighting to directly save Sarah's life. She usually was the catalyst for his flashes, and they had learned over time to use that to their advantage. "He actually uses a gun now sometimes.

Casey thanked Sarah for her help, and somberly exited Castle to head home and get some rest. Sarah went and found Chuck, working on a computer, and told him it was time to go home and see their children. Chuck did not oppose that plan.

**Bartowski Residence**

Chuck and Sarah were emotionally and physically spent after spending hours searching for Alex. They were relieved when they got home and their babysitter, a teenager from down the street named Jessica, reported that the kids were still awake, waiting for their parents to tuck them in. To be honest, if the kids had been asleep, they probably would have woken them up. Still being relatively new parents, they were incredibly attached to both of their kids.

Chuck had begun looking for a house a few weeks after he had gotten Sarah back. He figured that since the last memories they had of their "dream house" were of Sarah not believing in their love, trying to kick Chuck's ass, and then Chuck taking a bullet for Sarah, maybe they should look for a new house. Sarah vehemently disagreed. She told him that they had never been a normal couple, and even though some, ok a lot, of bad stuff had gone down at that house between the two of them, she still wanted to move there. She told him that they were much tougher than any other couple. She told him that she wanted to use the doorframe with their names carved in it to measure their kids' growth. She told him she wanted to raise their kids no place else. She explained how, even though she had tried to beat Chuck up, she had already begun to feel the love between them in that house. She told him how when she saw their names carved into the doorframe, she had a flash of memory, of how she had promised him their future in that very spot. How could Chuck say no to that?

So, a month and a half after he got Sarah back, they moved into their dream home. Soon after they had decided to shut down Carmichael Industries, they had come to an agreement with General Beckman. She gave them a hefty compensation for their time as government agents, well, more specifically for all the time Chuck spent as the Intersect. Chuck and Sarah agreed to help Beckman out when she needed their expertise, as long as there was absolutely _no _field work involved, and they received fair compensation. The money they got from Beckman was used to get WhiteFence off the ground, and buy their dream home. Soon, they had WhiteFence in the black, and within a year, they knew they would never have to worry about money ever again.

The parents went upstairs to their children's rooms. They first went into their daughter's room. Emily Eleanor Bartowski was only ten months old, but Chuck already knew she was going to be a carbon copy of her mother. A full head of blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a stubborn-as-a-mule attitude confirmed it for him. Sarah picked up her daughter, and they both began to softly sing a lullaby to her. Chuck took a step back, and couldn't help but pull his iPhone out and snap a picture of his girls. Sarah had gotten used to this over the years, and had gone from intentionally frowning when Chuck tried to take a picture, to now making sure she gave him a cute picture with their daughter. They both knew it was the little moments like this that they had to cherish - their kids wouldn't be this young forever, after all.

They named Emily after a few people in their lives. Obviously, her middle name Eleanor was after Chuck's sister. That was, again, Sarah's idea. Ellie was, after all, Emily's godmother. It was Chuck's idea to name her Emily. He told Sarah he wanted to honor her mother, Emma, but also wanted her to be her own person, so he came up with Emily. Sarah thought it was a beautiful name.

After a few minutes, Emily was soundly asleep in her mother's arms. Sarah gently placed her in her crib and Chuck tucked her in. They couldn't help but stand there and stare for a minute. Sarah leaned her head on Chuck's shoulders, and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Thank you," she said, barely above a whisper.

"For what?" Chuck asked.

"For giving me this. A family. Thank you."

Chuck kissed the top of his wife's head, and stopped himself from speaking, not wanting to ruin the perfect moment.

They quietly moved onto Stephen's room. Chuck had painted his room about a year ago in a dark navy blue, saying it was the color a boy's room was supposed to be. For his first birthday, Sarah had surprised Chuck and found an exact replica of Chuck's Tron poster, had it framed, and hung it above Stephen's bed. It had brought Chuck to the verge of tears.

Stephen was, at his core, a nerd like his father. Sure, he was only four years old, but his unabashed love for anything having to do with Star Wars and the Xbox endeared him to his parents. On the other hand, he had shown great agility and reflexes when he played outside. Chuck was sure he had inherited that from his mom.

Stephen was sitting up in his bed, reading a comic book. When he heard the floorboard outside his room creak, he knew one or both of his parents was about to enter his room. He looked up and saw his parents silently standing in his doorway, his father's arms wrapped around his mother, who stood in front of him.

"Hi Mom. Hi Dad."

"Hi sweetie. What are you still doing up?" Sarah asked as she and Chuck moved to his bedside and bent down so they were at his level.

"I wanted to wait for you. So you could tuck me in. I didn't want to go to bed without kissing you goodnight, Mom."

"That's my boy," Sarah said as she leaned over and kissed her son's forehead. "I love you very much Stephen Bartowski."

"I love you too Mom." Stephen said as he leaned over on his own accord and placed a sloppy kiss on his mother's cheek.

"What am I, invisible?" Chuck joked.

"Sorry Dad! I love you Daddy!" Stephen used his pleading voice, but he knew it was a joke, and was trying to make his dad laugh. Of course, it worked like a charm. Stephen gave Chuck a quick kiss on the cheek, and laid back down in bed. Sarah tucked him in tightly, and couldn't help but run her hand through his brown curls. Chuck reached over and turned the lamp on the night stand off. The parents stood up, said one more goodnight to their son, and exited his room as quietly and stealthily as they came.

Chuck and Sarah went about their usual pre-bed routine, changing into their pajamas, brushing their teeth (tandem style, of course), and getting under the covers. Sarah automatically curled into Chuck, tangling their limbs together so there was as little space between them as possible. Chuck let out a rather large sigh, trying to let go of the day's events so he could get some semblance of a good night's sleep. It helped to have his wife in his arms.

After a few minutes, Sarah decided to break the silence. "Chuck?"

"Mmm," he mumbled back.

"We're going to get Alex back, right?"

Chuck snapped his eyes open at this.

"Of course we are, why would you question that Sarah?"

"It just worries me. We haven't been on a real mission in a long time. I know we've kept up our training, and I probably trust that you can handle yourself in the field now more than ever. But I look at our kids, and it terrifies me to think that one or both of us could be taken so easily from them."

Chuck put his finger under her chin, lifting it up so he could look directly into her telling eyes.

"Sarah, we're never going to leave our children. We both had parents who, in one way or another, abandoned us. I will not, I can not, allow us to do that. I won't let it happen."

"I'm sorry, Chuck." Why was she apologizing?

"For what, baby? I'd be scared if you weren't worried. You're a mother. The best in the world, but a mother nonetheless. I'd be worried if you didn't act like a mama bear defending her cubs. It's actually…..quite sexy." He began to grin, unsure about how she would react. To his relief, she smiled a genuine smile. They were quiet for a few moments, and Sarah dropped her head back down onto Chuck's head, her perpetual pillow.

"Sarah…" It was Chuck's turn to break the silence.

"fffphhhChuckfffphh…."

"I love you." He said these words so often, but Sarah could tell by the inflection in his voice that he was being very serious. She knew he was probably freaking out about the day's events, and it helped him to calm down by just saying those three words. She lifted her head back up to look him in the eyes.

"I love you more." She replied, leaving no room for argument.

Tomorrow, they would have to go back to acting like spies again. But, for tonight, they could just be two people in love enjoying sleeping in one another's embrace.

_ON THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF 'CHUCK VERSUS MASON'S ISLAND' :_

_CHUCK AND THE GANG GET READY TO TAKE ON THE MISSION OF A LIFETIME. BUT WILL IT BE AS SIMPLE AS FINDING ALEX AND BRINGING HER HOME? KNOWING OUR FAVORITE SPIES, IT'S NEVER THAT EASY. THANKS FOR READING!_


	7. Departure

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a few days guys. I've been busy with finals. I also started a new storyline about the missing two weeks of Charah's honeymoon. Check it out. **

**Chapter 8 is already in the works. The action is definitely going to pick up.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.**

Chuck and Sarah awoke the next morning determined. They used to be the best spy duo in the world. Surely they could figure this out. After all, they'd both been kidnapped and tortured multiple times. They always got through it.

Neither of them ever wanted to be the first to break their embrace in the mornings. They both reveled in waking up in their spouses arms. It amazed both of them that after five years of marriage, they still found it incredibly difficult to spend even one night not wrapped securely in each other's warm embrace, never mind spending a night apart. Chuck opened his eyes slowly, and could tell from Sarah's rate of breathing that she too was now awake.

"Good morning, beautiful," Chuck pulled Sarah closer and tightened his grip. She looked up at him, and he saw her blue eyes for the first time this morning. It still blew him away.

"Good morning, handsome," Sarah replied as she slowly made her way up Chuck's chest until their lips were mere millimeters apart. "I love you."

"I. Love. You. Too. Sweetheart." Chuck emphasized each word with a kiss. Sarah hungrily stole another long kiss, willing Chuck to deepen it. After a few minutes of a heated make out session, they could hear their daughter waking up. She took after her mother in that she had a clinical aversion to the mornings.

Sarah hopped up out of bed first and made her way to Emily's room. Scooping her up out of her crib and placing sloppy kisses all over Emily's face to her delight, Sarah cuddled her close and sat down on the rocking chair that sat next to the bassinet. A few minutes later, Chuck came sleepily stumbling down the hall, his feet padding down the hardwood floor. He went into Stephen's room to wake his son up.

"Good morning kiddo," Chuck shook his son gently. "It's time to get up. Come on, i'll make some breakfast. What do you want?"

"Hot dogs!" Stephen shot open his eyes, momentarily surprising his father, demanding frankfurters.

"Buddy, we can't have hot dogs for breakfast. Well, technically we could, but I don't think your mother would be too happy."

"I wouldn't be happy about what, Chuck?" Chuck hadn't noticed his wife standing in Stephen's doorway, Emily tightly wrapped up in her arms.

"Our son wanted hot dogs for breakfast. I told him that wasn't the best idea." Chuck was trying his hardest to be the good cop. Sarah saw right through it. She walked over and kissed her son on the cheek, wishing him a good morning.

"No, it certainly is not. Chuck, why don't you go start some pancakes." Both of the Bartowski children perked their ears up at the mention of flapjacks. Sarah smiled knowingly. She knew her children. "I'm going to get Emily dressed. When I get back, you better be dressed appropriately young man." Stephen was never one to question his mother, especially when she used _the tone_. He looked at his father, and realized that he too was afraid of the imposing blonde woman. Chuck got up silently, kissed his wife, kissed his daughter on the head, and made his way the kitchen to start breakfast. Sarah shot one quick glance at her son, and he immediately stood up and made his way to his dresser. Satisfied with herself, Sarah retreated back to Emily's room to get her ready for the day.

After breakfast, the four Bartowskis made their way to their garage and piled into their black Range Rover. Chuck had wanted a family car, and Sarah agreed, but she still wanted a certain level of luxury, so Chuck bought her a Range Rover. He had also bought her a brand new Porsche, but she drove that less and less as the kids got older. Sarah made sure Stephen was buckled in, and couldn't help but grin as she looked over and saw Chuck struggling to get Emily into her car seat.

"Come on, baby girl, don't fight with daddy. I'm just trying to keep you safe. Please, sweetie." Chuck was pleading with their daughter, and she was having too much of a good time to give in to her father. Sarah got in the passenger side, and turned to look at Emily. Her daughter caught her mother's look, and immediately complied with her father.

"I can't believe I can still beg her for ten minutes, and all it takes is one look from you," Chuck said almost despondently as he got behind the wheel. Sarah grabbed his hand.

"Chuck, I think it's sweet she has you wrapped around her pinky finger. She learned from the best." She gave him a knowing look. Of course, he couldn't deny it. Sarah could ask him to run through downtown LA naked in rush hour and he would do it just to make sure he could see her smile.

They drove to Castle, enjoying the few minutes of normalcy as a family. They sang songs, pointed out interesting things to the kids, and listened to Stephen give his assessment of the current state of pre-school education in America. He surprised both his parents when he also announced that his preferred choice of a career was to become the guy that refilled bubble gum machines. He explained that he loved bubble gum, so why not? His parents chuckled, Sarah thinking how much her son reminded her of his father. She loved it.

When they got to Castle, they could see that Casey and Morgan were already there. Casey's typical Crown Vic was parked next to Morgan's bike. Sure, Morgan had money, lots of it actually, but he still liked to ride his bike. It gave him time to think, he told them. They went down the stairs into Castle, and brought the kids into the den. Chuck put on some Saturday cartoons for them to watch, and made sure all the surveillance was on so that no matter where they were in Castle, they would know exactly what was going on with their kids. Even with all the precautions, both of them were never more than a few feet away from the den.

Chuck found Morgan at a computer. Morgan was trying to put on a facade of being hard at work, but Chuck knew him too well. He could tell instantly that his friend was hurting deeply. Chuck knew exactly what his friend was feeling - Sarah had been kidnapped multiple times back when they were spies.

"Morgan, buddy, I know how you're feeling. Trust me, I do. If and when you need to talk, you know I'm right here for you." Chuck put a soothing hand on his best friend's shoulder. Morgan turned slowly to face Chuck.

"I know, Chuck. Thanks." Chuck couldn't help but notice the somber tone in Morgan's voice.

"You can't give up little buddy. That would be the worst possible thing. Alex thinks, no she believes, that you're coming to save her. And you are _not _ going to let her down. I won't allow it." Chuck's tone left no room for discussion, and Morgan knew that all too well.

Suddenly, Casey came barreling into the room, and Chuck and Morgan knew he had something.

"I just got off the phone with an old NSA contact. He heard through some backchannels about a mysterious small group of people holding a woman hostage. It's gotta be Alex. We all have to go meet up with him and get the rest of the intel. He didn't want to leak any specific intel on an open phone line."

Sarah had walked in quietly during Casey's explanation and stood behind Chuck, her hands wrapped around his neck and resting on his chest.

"Ok, where do we have to go?" Chuck asked the obvious question.

"Chicago."

**2012. Chuck and Sarah's Bedroom. Echo Park, CA.**

_Chuck followed the barrel of the gun with his eyes and traced back to the hand holding it. Sarah. He stared at her in disbelief. He couldn't decipher the expression on her face. It was as if she had reverted back to when he first met her, when she constantly disguised her body language from him. _

_Chuck knew something was up, because she was pointing her Smith & Wesson 5906 at him. She hadn't used that gun in almost a year, Chuck thought to himself. She switched guns right when we got married. He remembered her telling him that it was a gun from her past. She used it when she was a CIA agent. When she was an assassin. She didn't want to be that person anymore, she had told him. She just wanted to be Chuck's girl._

_Then why was she threatening to shoot him in the chest?_

_"Sarah….please…..baby…what's going on with you? It's me, it's your Chuck….." He was stammering, unsure of himself._

_Sarah just stared at him coldly. _

_"Sarah, don't do this, please!" He started to raise his voice out of desperation. "It's ME, Sarah. Your husband. Chuck."_

_Nothing. No response._

_He heard the slide rack, Sarah chambering a round._

_"NO! Sarah! LOOK AT ME!" Tears started streaming down his face, desperation evident in every syllable he uttered._

_"I don't know you," she said, completely void of any discernible emotion._

_"What do you mean? I'm your partner! Your husband! Your best friend!" He was on his knees, pleading with the love of his life. He heard the safety click to fire. Then the hammer going back. _

_"Sarah, please don't do this! SARAH! NO!"_

"CHUCK!" He shot up in bed and looked around the dark bedroom. He felt a hand on his arm, silently telling him to calm down and breathe.

"Chuck you're OK. It was just a bad dream. Come here, baby." Sarah took him in her arms, and cradled his head in her lap. He was sweating profusely, and quietly sobbing. She wiped away the tears from his cheek with her thumb. "It's OK Chuck. I promise. I'm right here, and I'm _not _ going _anywhere_."

The nightmares started about three weeks after he got Sarah back. He surmised that even though she was here, with him, he still was harboring the fear deep down that she would wake up and not remember him. Leave him. Again. It shook him to his core. They were only getting worse, the nightmares. He didn't know what to do. All she could do was comfort him and tell him, repeatedly, she was never leaving him again. Didn't he know that? It was now almost two months since Sarah had come back, and, besides the nightmares, she felt as if their relationship was only on the up-and-up. He had lost any feeling of discomfort around her long ago, and she was now more certain than ever that choosing a life with Chuck Bartowski was the best choice Sarah Walker had ever made. Sarah Bartowski, she thought, smiling to herself.

"Sarah, you were about to kill me. In my dream. You had your old gun, and you were about to shoot me. You didn't know who I was. I couldn't get through to you. I couldn't find you." His voice trembled with weakness. It broke her heart.

"Chuck, you did find me, remember? I was lost, and _you _ brought me back. Never forget that." She said it with such conviction that Chuck had no choice but to believe it. He started to cry again. Except this time, he couldn't decide whether they were tears of fear, joy, or both.

"Shhhh…shhhhh…" She was stroking his hair, her other hand resting on his chest. "It's ok baby. I'm here." She kept repeating it like a mantra. A mantra she wanted, no she _needed _her husband to believe as much as she did.

Sarah still wasn't completely comfortable in this role. It had only been roughly two months since she had come back to him. She was still regaining her memories, albeit they were coming faster and faster. She realized, however, that Chuck needed her to be strong, especially when he was this vulnerable and emotionally naked. She understood that what happened between them had caused deep seeded fears in Chuck to come bubbling to the surface, and she blamed herself. She couldn't help it. She knew, of course, if she told Chuck that, he would vehemently deny that anything was her fault. That's just the kind of person she married. Always more worried about other people than himself.

"Sarah….." His voice broke her out of of her train of thought.

"What is it, Chuck?" She spoke softly, not wanting to startle him.

"I'm sorry."

What could he possibly be apologizing for? This was all her fault, she thought. He wasn't the one who lost all his memories. He wasn't the one who forgot his own spouse. He wasn't the one who tried to kill the love of his life. She had done all of that. Not him. He had nothing to be sorry for. If anything, she should be profusely apologizing to him, begging his forgiveness. But she didn't need to, because deep down she knew Chuck had already forgiven her. He'd probably tell her there was nothing to forgive.

"I'm sorry I'm putting you through this, Sarah. You've been so patient with me." He couldn't open his eyes to look at her. He feared she would see right through him, to his soul, and she would know how scared he was.

"Chuck, stop. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I'm the one who doesn't _deserve _forgiveness. Doesn't _deserve _you…." She was staring off into space as she trailed off.

Chuck didn't know what to say to his wife. Here she was, cradling him like a baby after he had a nightmare, and she was asking him to forgive her. Didn't she know there was nothing to forgive?

"We make quite a pair, Mrs. Bartowski," Chuck said, slightly grinning. He was trying to lighten the mood, and Sarah happily obliged. She bent down and kissed him.

"Yes we do Mr. Bartowski." She was stroking his hair, staring lovingly into his eyes. "Let's go back to sleep, Chuck. Come here," she said as she pulled him close to spoon. Chuck nodded and snuggled into position. Almost at the same time, the two lovers sighed contently.

"I love you. You know that right?" Sarah asked Chuck.

"Of course, Sarah. I love you," he said as he kissed the top of her head. "Now sleep, angel."

Sarah nestled as close as she could to Chuck, eliminating any space remaining between them. They fell asleep in each other's arms, confident that they when they woke up, the new day would wash away all their fears and insecurities. Except Sarah had been keeping a secret from Chuck, one she knew she was going to have to tell him when he woke up.

The sun peeked through the blinds into Chuck's bedroom, and woke up the two lovers slowly. They were once again tangled in each other's limbs, and neither of them minded in the slightest. Sarah was a bit hesitant, she was a bit fearful of how Chuck was going to react.

"Chuck, honey."

"Yeah, baby? What is it?" Chuck took one look at Sarah and knew she had something rather serious to confess. He did something unorthodox for Chuck Bartowski - he was silent.

Sarah took a moment to gather her thoughts. Was Chuck going to freak out? Well, that was probably inevitable. Was it going to be a good freak out or a bad freak out? Was he going to be happy? Sarah knew she was happy, and she knew what that meant to Chuck. She just hoped that he was going to be as excited as she was. She decided if she kept going around in her own head, she'd screw up her confession, or worse, give Chuck the wrong idea. It was now or never. Ok, not never, but she needed to do it now.

"Chuck, honey, don't freak out." She knew instantly that was the wrong thing to say.

"Sweetie, you realize by saying that I'm going to freak out right?" He laughed. That was a good sign.

She had to say it now. She didn't mean to, but she just blurted it out.

"Chuck I'm pregnant."

Chuck's jaw dropped. Had he heard Sarah right? He was, to Sarah's dismay, speechless. She took his lack of a verbal response to mean Chuck either wasn't happy or didn't want this. Of course, she couldn't have been more wrong. The second she thought he was unhappy, he surprised her by pulling her as tight into him as humanly possible. He couldn't find the right words, so he opted to show Sarah how he felt. The kiss was full of emotion, love, a little fear, but, above all, excitement. Excitement for the future. For their future. After a minute they parted their lips and she nestled into the crook in Chuck's neck.

"Sarah, to be completely honest, that is the best news I've ever heard. This is the second best day of my life!" Chuck was simply beaming with happiness. He slowly reached down and put his hand onto Sarah's stomach gingerly. "We're going to be parents. I can't believe it. Baby, I've wanted this for so long and now that it's happening it seems so surreal. Thank you so much."

"No Chuck, thank you. I couldn't be happier that we're starting a family, and that I'm the one who's giving it to you. It's how it was always supposed to be." Sarah said the last sentence matter-of-factly. Chuck agreed. "Wait, Chuck. You said today was the second best day. What was the first!" Sarah seemed a little peeved that a day as special as this was taking a backseat. But, as usual, she had gauged Chuck a little wrong.

"The day I married the woman of my dreams, the love of my life, of course. Silly girl." Chuck was smirking at his bride. The mother of his child.

"I knew that." She was pouting. Chuck knew that pout- her fake sexy pout. He took it as a golden opportunity, and didn't waste any time celebrating with his wife. They 'celebrated' for the next hour and a half.

**2017. 405 Freeway, Los Angeles.**

The four former black ops operators piled into the Range Rover. Chuck and Sarah strapped their kids in between their Uncles Casey and Morgan. Chuck couldn't help but smile when he saw Casey playing with Emily. He hoped it would take his mind off of Alex, if only for a fleeting moment. Sarah was looking out the window, staring at nothing in particular, and sighed a little too loudly. Chuck heard, and he knew she was frustrated. Every time they thought they were in the clear, every time they thought they could live a normal, simple, happy life, something always came up. But deep down, Sarah knew that they were doing the right thing. Alex was family, and Sarah would do anything for family. If she learned one thing from Chuck, besides of course how to love, it was the simple fact that nothing, _nothing_, was more important than family.

It was fortuitous that they had to go to Chicago, Chuck thought. When Casey had said Chicago, Sarah and Chuck had looked at each other, had a full conversation with just one look, and decided that they would bring Emily and Stephen to Chicago to spend some time with their Aunt Ellie and Uncle Devon and their cousins until their parents could figure this out. They were happy that they would be keeping their children safe, but it pained them to know they would have to be away from them, even if it was only for a couple days (or so they hoped).

They stopped at the Bartowski residence first. Chuck and Sarah got out and asked Morgan and Casey to stay in the car and entertain the kids. They obliged, albeit with a pair of similar-sounding grunts emanating from the backseat of the Range Rover. They walked inside and immediately retrieved four go-bags from the front closet. One each for Mom, Dad, Stephen, and Emily. Sarah had always made sure that even when they got out of the spy life, they were never caught unprepared. Chuck took the go-bags out the SUV and quickly returned to the house. He went upstairs into their bedroom where he saw Sarah accessing their safe that was hidden behind a false wall in their closet. Chuck knew what she was getting.

"I can't believe it's come to this," Sarah expressed exactly what Chuck was thinking. How does she do that, Chuck thought? They both sighed simultaneously.

Chuck knelt down beside his wife. Sarah had made sure when they got this safe that the only way to open it was with both of them there. They had to simultaneously have their retinas scanned, their fingerprints checked, and, finally, they put in their codes into matching keypads. The safe clicked, and opened ever so slightly. Sarah took a deep breath and opened it.

Sitting on the cold, metal floor of the safe was Sarah's Smith and Wesson M&P, Chuck's Baby Hi-Capa tranq pistol, a sheath of Sarah's knives, and their CIA credentials with "RETIRED" stamped on them in big, bold red letters. She moved the credentials aside and something caught her eye. Two pieces of string, each tied in roughly a ring shape. Memories came flooding into Sarah's mind.

_"No, no, because I want to marry you!" Chuck pleaded._

_"Well I really wanna marry you too," Sarah replied happily._

She remembered the fear they had felt when they briefly thought they had cold feet. She remembered Chuck suggesting they do a dry run. He knew her too well. She remembered standing in front of Chuck as she recited her wedding vows to him and the look on his face as she finished. She remembered wearing the string rings at their wedding. Most of all, she remembered how Chuck had taken her in his arms after proclaiming her vows "perfect".

"Chuck….you kept them," was all she could get out, choking back tears.

"Of course I did baby," he said soothingly. "If I could, I would keep everything from our time together. But I felt these were pretty important, and I didn't want them to accidentally get thrown out or destroyed by our wonderful rug rats, so I put them in here a while back. To be honest, I kind of forgot they were here."

"Chuck, you're perfect." She no longer fought her emotions, and tears began streaming down her cheeks. They didn't get very far, because her husband wiped them away tenderly. He kissed her softly and wrapped her up in his arms.

"Sarah, we should get going," Chuck said after a moment.

Sarah nodded slightly. They both reached in the safe and picked up their respective weapons. Sarah really didn't want to go back to the person she used to be. Chuck sensed her hesitation.

"Hey, come here," he said as he pulled her back to him. "You're not that person anymore. You'll never be that person again. You're a mother. A wife. A best friend. A sister. An aunt. You have a family that loves you. You have a husband that adores and worships you," he smirked. "Not to mention you have two young children that know they have the best mom in the world. So, I know we're going to have to reach back for our old skill sets, and I know that it's not going to be easy, but I have faith in you Sarah Bartowski. You've come so far in the time I've known you, and I would trade the entire world for one minute with you." He was getting sappy, but he didn't care.

"Oh, Chuck. You can be so corny sometimes. But you know I love it. And I love you."

"I love you too, baby." Chuck stood up and brought Sarah with him. They closed the safe, and walked down to the car hand in hand ready for the mission that laid before them.

They stopped at Casey's place next. He was rarely there anymore, as he spent most of his time either at Gertrude's place or out on some globetrotting adventure with her. The three men went inside while Sarah stayed in the SUV with the kids. Casey, Chuck and Morgan grabbed weapons, ammo, vests, tactical gear, BDUs, secure sat phones, GPS trackers, and any other gear they thought they would possibly need. They were now armed better than most small countries' militaries.

When they got to Morgan and Alex's house, Chuck got out without saying anything. Sarah turned around quickly and put a hand on Morgan's knee.

"Morgan, Chuck's got this. Why don't you play with your niece?" Sarah knew Morgan would have a hard time resisting Emily's charms. She was right, and Morgan was distracted long enough for Chuck to go inside and grab clothes and anything else Morgan would need. He also grabbed a small bag and packed some of Alex's clothes, for _when _ they rescued her. In Chuck's mind, it wasn't an _if_, it was a _when_.

They spent the rest of the ride in relative silence, only broken by the occasional joke from Stephen, grunt from Casey, and gurgling sounds from Emily as Morgan continued to play with her.

They pulled into the private airport and into the hanger where Chuck and Sarah's plane sat. This was the first time they would be using it for spy-related business. Usually, it was used to go to Disney World, or vacation to Chile, or the time Chuck and Sarah flew Morgan and Alex to their honeymoon.

They loaded all of their gear first, then everyone went up the stairs and into the Gulfstream. Sarah would be flying them today, with Chuck as co-pilot. They simply didn't trust any outsiders, and wanted to keep knowledge of their impromptu trip to as few people as possible.

"Let's run down the checklist and get out of here." Sarah said as she began flipping switches in the cockpit. Chuck silently acquiesced and aided Sarah in preparing the plane for departure. Both of them prepared to revert back to people they used to be, and thought they would never have to be again. This was going to be quite the trip.


	8. Chicago, Pt 1

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the lack of responses to your wonderful reviews. Please know that I appreciate them greatly, and it keeps me wanting to write more chapters. You guys are awesome! Thanks again!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.**

Chuck and Sarah got the plane off the ground without a problem. Once they were at cruising altitude, Sarah wanted to check on the kids, so she handed over control to Chuck.

Sarah walked back into the cabin. If they weren't going to save Alex, the scene before her would have looked like any other Bartowski family vacation. Stephen was babbling about video games, much to Casey's dismay. Morgan was sitting at the window with Emily on his lap, both of them staring silently out at the blue skies. Sarah knew that Emily would be getting hungry, so she made her way back to the small galley and began to prepare a bottle for her daughter. Once it was ready, she sat across from Morgan and Emily. She handed the bottle to Morgan.

"Morgan, I think she'd like it if you gave her lunch." Sarah left no room for Morgan to even try to rebut or worm his way out. Not that he would try. He took the bottle from Sarah, and Emily happily obliged. She looked up at Morgan, with the same blue eyes her mother possessed, and Morgan knew everything was going to be alright.

"Thanks Sarah." He didn't elaborate, and Sarah didn't need him to.

Sarah felt the sudden urge to be with her husband. She didn't know if it was the uncertainty of their situation, the fact they were on a mission again, or her just simply missing him, but she knew she wanted him. She asked Morgan to continue taking care of Emily, and he gave her a look that said she never had to ask. Sarah smiled.

Sarah made her way back to the cockpit and Chuck. She opened the door, and Chuck was sitting in the co-pilot's chair, checking gauges and looking out the windshield. He knew Sarah was there without looking.

"Everything OK back there honey?" He asked her without turning to look. Instead of going back to the pilot's seat, she bent over behind Chuck and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Everything's perfect sweetheart." As she talked, she stealthily moved back to the door and loudly locked it. That got Chuck's attention.

"Sarah…" He used the tone he always used when he knew she was up to something devious. "What are you doing?"

"I think you know _exactly_ what I'm doing," she replied as she maneuvered until she was straddling Chuck. "Chuck…." She was cut off by his lips barreling into hers, full of passion. He knew what she wanted because he wanted it too. They both thought to themselves, five years married, and we're still acting like horny teenagers. Nothing wrong with that, they both decided.

They both found out the hard way that making love in the cockpit of an airplane takes agility, stamina, and most of all, flexibility. But if anyone could pull it off, it would be the Bartowskis. They both thanked the gods for the invention of auto-pilot.

When they were both spent, Sarah melted into Chuck's lap and cuddled as close to him as she could get. Chuck figured, correctly, that Alex being kidnapped had forced Sarah to think what life would be like if Chuck or either of their kids weren't in it anymore. He knew it scared her. He also knew that the best way to comfort her was to hold her close and not let go. She appreciated that he left it unsaid, as she knew Chuck had figured it out. They both knew they would talk about it later, but they were both enjoying this rare moment of peace with just the two of them.

Right on cue, the radio piped up, the Denver flight controllers asking for their position. Without thinking, Sarah plopped down into the Captain's chair, pulled her headset on, and began relaying their coordinates to the ATC. She looked over at Chuck and he was grinning ear to ear staring at her.

"What?" She asked, incredulously.

"You're talking to ATC in the nude sweetheart."

Sarah then realized in their haste neither of them had re-clothed. They were sitting in the cockpit, in their birthday suits, as if it were completely normal. They both burst out laughing. It was pure Chuck and Sarah.

"I love you. And I'm not just saying that because you're flying our plane naked after we just had amazing sex. God, I'm so lucky…." He trailed off as he couldn't help but stare at his wife's body, beads of sweat still trickling.

"I love you, Chuck. Now I think we should maybe get dressed….."

"NO!" Chuck almost yelled before she could even finish her sentence. "I mean…um…..well….this is…fun….and…..you're so pretty." He gave up trying to explain himself.

"OK Chuck. If you don't mind, I certainly don't." Sarah was now checking out her husband. It was only a matter of time before they re-christened the cockpit….

The rest of the flight "flew" by and before they knew it, they were approaching Midway Airport. Sarah called out the approach, and made a smooth landing. She taxied the plane on the tarmac over to the private hangers.

"Chuck, you called ahead and got rides for us right?" Sarah asked as she maneuvered the plane into the hanger.

"Yeah, they should be here any minute. I made sure the drivers work for Verbanski." Right then, two black Suburbans pulled up right outside the hanger. "We should go to Awesome and Ellie's first, then go with Casey to meet his contact." Chuck's voice became weak as he said the last sentence. Sarah knew why.

"Chuck, baby, I know it's going to be tough without the kids, but it's for their safety." Chuck nodded. Sarah continued, "Besides, I'm sure they'll love to spend some time with their Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. They haven't seen them since Christmas!"

"I know Sarah. It's just hard. We vowed that we were never going to put ourselves in this position - leaving our kids behind while we go on a dangerous mission. I just hate that we're doing this. I know, I know, we're doing it for Alex. I don't doubt our motivation, and I would never turn my back on family. It just sucks."

Sarah got up out of the Captain's chair and sat on Chuck's lap. She took his face in her hands, and slowly kissed him, letting him know it was going to be OK. She pulled back and laid her forehead against her husband's.

"Let's go sweetheart. The faster we get this done, the quicker we get to go home," Sarah said as she stood up, pulling Chuck out of the cockpit with her.

They loaded all of their gear into the Suburbans, got in, and began the twenty-minute drive to the Woodcomb's. Chuck, Sarah, and the kids were in the first Suburban, while Morgan and Casey followed in the second. Before they knew it, they were pulling into the Awesome's driveway.

**2013. Westside Medical Center.**

"CHUCK BARTOWSKI! I swear to god when I get out of this hospital, you are going to be in a world of hurt! You're sleeping on the couch for an entire year!" Sarah had spiraled over the last few hours, and was now constantly insulting, berating, and belittling her husband. He sat at her side, holding her hand tight, silently letting her rant and rave. He had learned from the previous nine months that an angry, pregnant Sarah Bartowski was not someone to be messed with.

"If I wasn't having your son, and I didn't think I wanted more kids, I'd make you a eunuch!" That had become one of Sarah's go-to vents, threatening Chuck's manhood. In her opinion, it was the cause of all her current pain and suffering. Chuck wasn't going to even go near the fact that it was Sarah who suggested they try for kids, or that it was Sarah who refused an epidural or any other pain medication. She was just too damn tough. Chuck couldn't have been more proud, or more terrified. It was quite an unusual feeling.

"Honey….." Chuck decided to test the waters after Sarah was quiet for a minute. "You're doing great. We're almost there." He spoke slowly, calmly.

"What do you mean _we're_ almost there!" She yelled. "I'm the one in labor! You're just sitting there! You're not the one who had to carry this baby around for nine months! You're not the one who threw up everyday for weeks! You didn't lose your figure! God I hate you so much Chuck Bartowski!" The last sentence was broken up by her moans of pain. Another contraction. She gripped Chuck's hand even harder, and her engagement and wedding rings dug into Chuck's skin. He didn't dare try to loosen his grip, or even move an inch. The funny thing is, in between contractions, Sarah would have moments of clarity where she would profusely apologize and beg Chuck for forgiveness. A minute later, she was back to cursing the day they met and wondering out loud why people ever decide to have kids.

"Chuck, baby, I'm sorry. I know I'm saying horrible things, but it's actually in some way helping me deal with the pain. Just know that no matter what I say, I love you, forever and always." There was his wife. Chuck smiled, reached over, and planted a long, tender kiss on Sarah's lips. He could feel her smile for a second. Then, the next contraction hit.

After a particularly long rant, Chuck looked at his wife quizzically.

"Sweetheart, I think you just yelled at me in Hebrew…." Out of the many languages Sarah knew fluently, Chuck had never heard her speak Hebrew before. "It was kinda sexy….."

"SHEKET CHUCK!" Sarah screamed back in Hebrew. (Sheket = Shut up)

Five hours into labor, Stephen Bartowski decided it was time for him to join his parents. His mother pushed and pushed until she heard the distinctive cries of a newborn infant. She immediately relaxed and began rubbing Chuck's hand with her thumb. Both of them were focused on their infant son. The doctor gently handed him to Sarah after they cleaned him up and gave him a once-over. Sarah took her son in her arms for the first time, and was instantly amazed at how she could love someone so much that she just met. It had only happened to her once before - with this baby's father.

Chuck was snapping photos with his iPhone until Sarah scolded him. He diligently listened to his wife, and crawled into the hospital bed beside her. They couldn't help but stare at their new son.

"Hello Stephen Charles Bartowski. I'm you mom, and this is your dad. You don't know us yet, but we love you very much and can't wait to take you home." Sarah kissed Stephen on the forehead, then passed him to Chuck. "Now meet your father."

Chuck was nervous at first. This was _his _ child. It wasn't his niece. It wasn't one of his friend's kids. Here was a product of Chuck and Sarah's love. Tangible, real proof. Sarah could see Chuck hesitate for a moment, and gently put her hand on his arm.

"Chuck, it's OK. We're both fine. Don't worry. Everything's great baby." Sarah never thought in a million years Chuck would be the more cautious one at this point. She always thought to herself that she would never be, could never be, a good mother. But over the last nine months, Chuck had convinced her time and again that she was going to be a fantastic mother, and she truly believed him.

"Hi," Chuck said softly as he rocked Stephen slowly. "Sorry, kiddo, but i'm your dad. You're stuck with me. I love you so much." Chuck didn't know what else to say, and soon he and Sarah had tears of joy running down their cheeks. After the rest of the family came through and met Stephen, the newly minted family took a nap, Stephen tucked safely into his parent's loving arms. Chuck woke up first, and was careful not to disturb his wife or his son. He looked over at Sarah, and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. She was peacefully sleeping, a smile plastered on her face, cradling their son. Chuck pinched himself multiple times until he was certain he wasn't dreaming and this was real. He couldn't believe his luck. He not only got the most beautiful woman in the world to fall in love with him, twice, but said beauty now was the mother of his child. Life couldn't get any better for Chuck Bartowski.

Sarah woke up to find her husband gazing at her. She didn't have to ask, she knew why. She looked down at her son, and found herself tearing up again. Six short years ago, she was one of the CIA's best assassins. Trained in the art of seduction. A cold-blooded killer without remorse. Now, she sat in a hospital bed with her uber-nerd husband and their newborn son. They were out of the spy game. She had always thought the day she had to quit spying was going to be the worst day of her life. She didn't think she could live without espionage. It was what she knew, what she was good at. Now, she knew she had been wrong all those years. Sure, the CIA had done a lot of good things for her. Heck, she would probably have never met Chuck if she hadn't been a spy. But she knew, now, that everything that happened in her life led to this moment. Sarah had, a long time ago, come to the conclusion that she couldn't live without this - her family. Chuck, Stephen, Ellie, Awesome, and yes, even Casey, Morgan and Alex. She looked back up at Chuck, and he too was crying tears of joy. She still didn't believe her luck. A man as good as him, as sweet as him, as loving as him, chose her to be his wife. She never thought that she deserved love until she met Chuck. He convinced her that not only did she deserve everything he could give her, she was worthy of so much more. Sarah reached out her hand to Chuck and he took it in his. They sat like that for a long time - just the three of them.

"Perfect." Sarah stated to no one in particular.

**2017. Woodcomb Residence, Chicago, IL.**

Ellie came running out of the front door before the SUVs were even in park. She was jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas morning. Chuck smiled at Sarah. They both loved how excited Ellie got for, well, just about everything and anything.

"CHUCK!" Ellie was yelling at him now. "Get out here! I want to see my niece and nephew!" Chuck obliged. He got out of the Suburban, gave Ellie a hug and a kiss, and opened the rear door. Sarah, when she was done getting crushed in a hug by her sister-in-law, went to get her daughter out of the carseat.

"Emily, you remember your Auntie, right?" Sarah was holding Emily while Ellie was cooing, talking in baby-speak, and laying sloppy kisses on her niece.

Stephen got himself out of the car and ran to his Aunt, hugging her legs. "AUNT ELLIE! AUNT ELLIE! IT'S ME! STEPHEN BARTOWSKI!" He didn't want his sister taking ALL of the attention. Ellie reached down and picked up her nephew.

"Hello Stephen," she gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "Did you have a fun plane ride?"

"Yeah, Mom and Dad flew and I talked to Uncle Casey!" Stephen replied, a big Bartowski grin on his face. Casey grunted as if to say, he never stopped talking the entire flight.

"Well I know Clara is excited to see you guys, and Uncle Devon is upstairs with Mary." Mary was Ellie and Devon's eight-month old daughter, named after Ellie and Chuck's mom. Stephen, without waiting for anyone, ran inside to find his cousins and his Uncle.

"Sarah, how is Emily doing?" Sarah and Ellie had been talking on the phone frequently, considering they both had infant daughters who weren't too far apart in age. They swapped stories, gave each other advice, and supported one another. They truly were becoming sisters, to both their delights.

"She's doing great Ellie," Sarah replied as she kissed the top of Emily's head. "She is so smart. She's in the top percentiles in almost everything. She's going to be as smart as her daddy! Isn't that right, baby?"

"Sweetheart, you and I both know she's going to be just like you. She already has me doing all of her bidding, and she can't even speak yet." Chuck couldn't help but laugh at his last statement. He walked up behind Sarah, wrapping his arms around his wife and his daughter, kissed Sarah on her cheek, and rested his head on her shoulder. "She is perfect, just like her mother." Sarah blushed, which she had stopped trying to hide years ago.

Casey and Morgan had drifted inside while Chuck, Sarah, and Ellie were talking. They soon followed, and everyone made their way to the dinner table, greeting Devon, Clara, and Mary. They drank coffee, talked about the kids, and reveled in acting like a normal family, even if it was only for a little while. Chuck looked at Morgan, and was glad he was distracted. This whole thing was really taking a toll on his best friend. Soon, Sarah and Ellie had gone off with their daughters, Sarah presumably filling Ellie in on their kids' routines and giving advice on how to take care of them while Chuck and Sarah were gone.

"Sarah, Chuck didn't tell me exactly why you need us to look after them. Is it serious? Should I be worried?" Sarah wasn't sure how to answer. If Chuck hadn't told Ellie about Alex's kidnapping, maybe he had a reason. Maybe he didn't want Ellie to worry, or didn't want her freaking out. Either way, Sarah knew to follow her husband's lead.

"Ellie, I don't want to lie to you. I did that for long enough. I can tell you that something happened, and Chuck and I need to go take care of it. We're going to have to act like spies again, and trust me, neither of us wants to do it, but it's the only way. You and Devon are the _only _people Chuck and I trust to take care of our kids, and please know we wouldn't have asked if we weren't serious." Ellie seemed to accept Sarah's non-answer, and didn't broach the subject further.

The two mothers could hear the rest of their family downstairs, Devon regaling them with a story about his last whitewater kayaking trip.

"Bro, it was awesome. Class five rapids. Had to turtle her a bunch of times." Chuck nodded as if he knew what Devon was talking about. "You should come sometime, Chuck. You'd get a kick out of the adrenaline rush!" I've had enough adrenaline for one lifetime, Chuck thought. He remembered back to when he and Sarah had to jump out of a burning airplane with only one parachute, which was on Sarah's back. I wonder if Awesome would get a kick out of that, Chuck thought. They had barely had time for Sarah to hook a line around Chuck before she had to pull the chute, and even then, Chuck still ended up with a couple broken bones.

"Chuck, honey, I hate to say it, but we really need to get going." Sarah hated to be the bearer of bad news, but every minute they spent here was a minute they could be looking for Alex Grimes. Chuck nodded his head in agreement, and silently began to prepare to leave.

Chuck and Sarah took their kids upstairs into a bedroom to say goodbye. They never thought it would be this hard. This was the first time in both of their children's lives that they would spend a night apart. Sarah especially was taking it hard. Her maternal instincts had kicked in as soon as she found out she was pregnant with Stephen. Everyone who met her swore up and down they never had seen a mother more devoted to her children. She was crying before they even started to say goodbye. Chuck began.

"Stephen, Emily, your Mom and I need to go with Uncle Casey and Uncle Morgan for a few days. We're going to be working. You'll stay here with Aunt Ellie and Uncle Devon. We'll be back to get you as soon as we can, and then we'll go home."

Stephen seemed sad at hearing that his parents were leaving. Emily was indifferent, and was happy to just be in her Mom's arms, getting positive attention.

"But Dad, what about my story?" Chuck had taken to reading to his son every night before bedtime. Sometimes he read from a book, sometimes a comic, and sometimes he would tell stories. He made up some, and others were extremely watered-down versions of missions he and Sarah had gone on. Chuck knew how important it was to his son, and Chuck had come to look forward to it every day.

"How about I ask Uncle Devon to read to you?" Chuck asked. Stephen perked up at hearing this, and eagerly agreed.

Sarah hesitantly handed Emily over to Chuck, and picked up her son, enveloping him in his mother's loving arms.

"You know I'm going to miss you terribly, right baby boy?" Stephen slowly nodded at his Mom. "I love you very much."

"I love you too Mommy," Stephen replied as he warmly gave her a kiss on the cheek. "And I love you Daddy!" He exclaimed as leaned over to give his Dad a kiss too. Chuck and Sarah smiled at their son's antics.

Chuck and Sarah finished saying their goodbyes and headed downstairs to wrangle Casey and Morgan and head out. They had to meet Casey's NSA contact downtown in an hour. They said goodbye to Ellie and Devon, Sarah giving Ellie last minute instructions, and Ellie reassuring Sarah that she knew what she was doing.

They piled back into the Suburbans. All four of them got into one, and they asked the two drivers to take the other and lead the way. Chuck and Sarah sat in the front, Sarah in the driver's seat. They waved sadly to their family standing on the front steps. Sarah's eyes began tearing up again, and Chuck took his hand in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"We'll be back to pick them up before we know it, Sarah. They're going to be fine with Ellie and Awesome."

"I know, Chuck, I know. I'm more worried about us. We haven't been away from our babies for this long before. It _sucks_." Chuck nodded vigorously in agreement, and Casey grunted at the outpouring of feelings in the car.

The drive was pretty quiet, save for the random comment from Chuck or Morgan about the scenery or some goofy obscure movie reference. It wasn't until they got onto the Loop that Chuck noticed the tail. It hadn't been on them from the airport to Ellie's, so they must've picked them up somewhere between Ellie's and the Loop. It was only one car, but Chuck knew from experience it was tailing them. They weren't doing a very good job of hiding it.

"Guys, we have company," Chuck stated flatly as he looked out the side mirror. Sarah checked the rear-view and saw the tail vehicle. Casey and Morgan turned in their seats slightly and spotted it.

"Sarah, give me your gun," Chuck held his hand out, palm upwards. Sarah reached behind her to the small of her back and handed her Smith & Wesson to Chuck. He looked at his wife, and she caught his gaze. "Whatever happens, keep driving unless I tell you otherwise." Chuck's tone was serious, and Sarah let him know she understood.

Chuck undid his seatbelt and crawled into the backseat, surprising Morgan and Casey.

"BARTOWSKI! What are you doing?" Casey yelled.

"Shut up Casey. I'm getting rid of the tail," Chuck retorted as he tumbled over the second row into the trunk. He checked the magazine, saw it was full, reloaded, chambered a round, and flicked the safety to 'fire'. "Baby, open the rear gate. Now."

Sarah pressed a button on the steering wheel and rear gate swung up, revealing the tail vehicle four car lengths back. Chuck crouched into a firing position. He activated the Intersect, instantly running through scenarios in his head, debating with the Intersect the best course of action. The Intersect suggested trying to incapacitate the driver. Chuck knew that the windshield was most likely armored, so he brushed that idea aside. He didn't have enough firepower on him to disable the engine block, as they had left most of their gear on the plane. He and the Intersect finally decided the best plan was to take the tires out, cause the vehicle to fishtail, hopefully flip, and stop, then try and question and incapacitate the men inside.

Chuck aimed Sarah's gun carefully. He was confident that her sights were accurate. The first shot surprised everyone in the car, save for Chuck. The bullet hit the front right tire, and it instantly deflated. A perfect shot, Chuck thought. He hadn't flashed on aiming, as he had years of experience from Duck Hunt and his wife giving him shooting lessons. The vehicle was still coming, albeit they were having a harder time driving it in a straight line.

"Honey, I need you to pull the e-brake and skid to the right, please. Guys, hold on." Sarah complied immediately, and as the Suburban came to a stop, Chuck hopped out the back. The other three occupants turned their heads to witness Chuck, Sarah's gun in his outstretched hands, slowly walking towards the oncoming tail vehicle.

Chuck fired one more shot, which hit its target, the back right tire. The driver made a mistake by attempting to overcompensate. The vehicle was no longer able to stay upright, and as soon as the back right tire deflated, it flipped on its side, skidding to a stop five feet in front of Chuck. He stuffed Sarah's gun into the back of his jeans, and calmly walked over to the totaled car. There were two men inside. The one in the passenger seat was obviously unconscious, but the driver was struggling to try to free himself. Chuck climbed up onto the car, and used his elbow to smash open the driver's side window. He unceremoniously pulled the driver out of the car, helped him to the ground, and dragged him over to their Suburban. He sat him up in the trunk, duct taped his mouth, put a black bag on his head, and made sure he was restrained.

"We're taking him with us. Casey, call the other Suburban and tell them to come explain this to the cops and help clean it up. We have a meeting to make." Chuck was now back in the passenger seat, and handed Sarah's gun back to her. "Thanks, sweetheart." Sarah was still in shock as to what she had just witnessed Chuck do. Five years out of the game, and he still had it. He had figured out how to disable the tail vehicle without killing anyone in the span of about half a second, and had executed it perfectly. It was a textbook takedown.

"Chuck, that was…..amazing," Sarah couldn't think of an appropriate adjective to explain what her husband had just accomplished. It was truly astonishing what her husband could do with, or without, the Intersect. She knew he had accessed it, but she also knew the bulk of the plan and all of the execution was all Chuck.

"Thanks baby. Pull over up here into that parking lot," he pointed at a Wal-Mart. "We have some time before we have to meet Casey's contact and I want to question this guy." He gestured towards the trunk of the Suburban at their captive.

Sarah pulled the Suburban in and parked in a secluded spot. Chuck got out and went around to the trunk and got in, sitting across from the man who had been tailing them minutes before.

Chuck pulled off the hood over his head and quickly yanked the duct tape off his mouth.

"Hello, my name is Chuck. You're going to tell me everything you know, and you're going to do it right now."


	9. Chicago, Pt 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.**

_Chuck pulled off the hood over his head and quickly yanked the duct tape off his mouth._

_"Hello, my name is Chuck. You're going to tell me everything you know, and you're going to do it right now."_

The captive was silent. He was trying to be stoic, or heroic, or just plain difficult. Chuck was prepared for this possibility.

"Look, you obviously know who I am. Why don't you tell me your name?" Chuck knew in order to get someone to give up sensitive intel, you had to get him talking first.

"Smith," the man replied weakly.

"OK Smith. That's a start." Chuck grinned slightly. Sarah, Casey and Morgan had gotten out of the Suburban and were now standing behind it, watching Chuck interrogate Smith through the open rear gate.

"Bartowski, hurry this up, we have to get going," Casey reminded. Sarah nudged Casey, and gave him a look to say, 'let Chuck do this'. Casey nodded.

"I'm going to start with an easy question," Chuck continued, "and if I feel you're not being honest with me, or you try to deceive me in any way with some cockamamie scheme of yours, I'll know. And trust me, you don't want me to give my friend over here free reign." Chuck motioned to Casey, who cracked his knuckles ominously and smirked. "Smith, who sent you?" Chuck asked directly.

"I don't know their name. I was hired through e-mail, and I've never met the client. I'm just a private contractor, and I got hired to tail you. I lost you when you left the airport, but I picked you back up on the Loop," Smith replied honestly.

"OK. I believe you," Chuck said. "Did your client tell you why he wanted you to tail us?"

"No. I was instructed to follow you, ascertain your intentions in Chicago, report back, and, if need be, tail you out of the city."

"OK Smith. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you have little to no loyalty to your client?" Smith nodded. "I mean, I'm sure you have professional responsibilities, but, right now, tied up in the back of this SUV, your options are pretty slim." Smith nodded again. "So, I'm only going to ask this once. Will you help us?"

Smith sat in contemplation for a moment. Sure, he was on a job, and sure, he had told the client he would complete said job. But, his options were slim. He didn't know if Chuck would kill him or not. He didn't know if he'd be tortured if he refused. Besides, these people don't seem all that bad, and the 'client' gave him the heebeejeebees.

"How?" Smith asked.

"Easy. You are going to continue tailing us, but you'll be working for me now. You will only report back to your client exactly what I tell you. I am going to bug you, and if you either try to remove the bug or tamper it in any way, there will be dire consequences. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. How do you contact your client?"

"Secure e-mail. I was to follow you and report back when you reached your destination. I have a PDA with me that is connected to the server, so I don't have to leave the car to report back."

"OK. Here's what's going to happen. My friend here," Chuck pointed to Casey, "is going to put a bug on you. He will also ride with you. Think of him as your chaperone. He will take the place of your partner that is most likely in the Chicago Police Department's custody by now."

"Chuck are you sure this is a good idea?" Casey asked. "How can we trust this guy? Ten minutes ago he was tailing us, and now he wants to help?"

Chuck quickly hopped out and pulled Casey aside.

"Casey, trust me. He's not lying. He doesn't know who his client is. He was paid to do a job, simple as that. We're just giving him more incentive to work for us." Chuck could see Casey wasn't completely buying into it yet. "Casey, his heart rate didn't spike, he was looking me directly in the eyes, and the Intersect did not trace even the slightest bit of deception in his voice or body language. He's telling the truth." Casey nodded slowly. "But, you're right, we can't completely trust him. That's why I'm sending you with him, because I trust you."

"OK Bartowski. We do this your way."

Chuck had Casey call the Verbanski drivers to bring the other Suburban to them. Casey checked Smith to make sure he wasn't already bugged, which he wasn't, and proceeded to wire him up for sound. The Verbanski drivers called the local office and had a ride sent for them, so Casey and Smith got in the Suburban, while Chuck, Morgan and Sarah got in the other one.

Once they were finally back on the road, Sarah reached over and grasped Chuck's hand in hers and gave it a tight squeeze.

"You were great back there, Chuck," Sarah was beaming at her husband. She leaned close and whispered into his ear, "it really turns me on when you take charge like that." Chuck almost lost control of the Suburban and Sarah giggled. "But Chuck, why did you bug Smith if you sent Casey with him?"

"You can't ever be too cautious honey," Chuck replied. "And it was also kind of a red herring." Sarah and Morgan both looked confused. Chuck explained, "OK, so I got his mind thinking about the bug Casey put on him right? Remember when I gave him a sip from my water bottle?" Morgan and Sarah nodded. "Well, I put a JB-21 tracker in there. Microscopic. Activates once it reaches the stomach. I figured if he's lying, he might lead us to someone who has something to do with this, and if he's telling the truth, it never hurts to be extra careful."

"Wow. That is so cool," Morgan couldn't help but smile at how devious his best friend was.

"Chuck, that is incredibly smart," Sarah told him. "I had no idea you were even doing that."

"It worked because I was the only one who knew I was doing it. I couldn't risk him figuring me out," Chuck said. Sarah smiled at her husband. He still had it.

It took another ten minutes to reach the parking garage where they were scheduled to meet Casey's contact. Chuck had Casey blindfold and restrain Smith in the Suburban. They didn't want him knowing anything other than exactly what they wanted him to.

"Chuck, let me handle this guy. He knows me. He spooks easy." Casey was being serious. Chuck couldn't help but comment on Casey's unintended pun.

"The spook who spooks easy!" Chuck got a laugh out of everyone. It was good he could lighten the mood, even if it was only for a second.

Just then, they heard tires squealing on the pavement a floor below them. Then they saw headlights on the ramp. A black Chevy Impala came around the corner and parked ten feet in front of the group.

Casey walked slowly towards his contact, his hands in front of him to show he was unarmed.

"John Casey," the man who got out of the Impala said. "You and your team pissed of some pretty scary people."

**2013. Bartowski Household. **

Chuck woke up with a start. He looked over at the clock on the nightstand. In big bold red letters it read 3:34 a.m. Chuck sighed. Ever since Stephen was born, he and Sarah had been getting less and less sleep. Sure, it was to be expected, and sure, they had been spies and were used to going on little sleep, but nothing truly prepares you for a newborn. Now, Chuck could hear Stephen crying in his crib. It was Sarah's turn, but she was still asleep, resting on Chuck's chest.

Chuck tried to get out of bed without waking his wife. It was not an easy task. She not only was tangled up in his limbs with her arms securely around his back, she had a tendency to somehow know what Chuck was doing and prevent him from accomplishing it. When Chuck tried to turn her over with him so she was lying on her back, she just tightened her grip around Chuck. Now she was on her back, but he was stuck hovering a couple inches above her in a death grip. Chuck decided the only real way he was going to extract himself was to wake her up. He took a deep breath.

"Baby," he said softly as he caressed Sarah's sleeping face. "I need to get Stephen. I need you to let me go sweetheart."

Sarah's eyes suddenly shot open and she instantly smiled at their current position.

"Are you taking advantage of me, Mr. Bartowski?" She asked seductively, biting the corner of her bottom lip.

"I wouldn't dream of doing anything without you sweetheart. But I do need to go get our son. He's been up for about five minutes."

"It's my turn, Chuck," she replied as she reached up to kiss him tenderly on the lips. "We're a team, remember?"

"Let's go get him together then," Chuck said with a dazzling smile. He snaked his arms around Sarah and picked her up. She instinctively wrapped her legs around Chuck's back and locked them together like her arms. She couldn't help but kiss him. He was so cute when he was flustered and sleepy.

They spent a minute necking, and then Chuck began to make his way towards Stephen's crib, which sat in the corner of their bedroom. Once he saw his parents, he shot his arms up in the air, begging to be picked up. Sarah got down off of Chuck, and Chuck picked Stephen up and cradled him against his shoulder.

"What's wrong big boy?" Chuck asked his son as he rocked him back and forth. Stephen was still crying, albeit it was more of quiet sobbing now. "It's OK tiger, Mommy and I are here. Shhhhh….."

Chuck sat down on the edge of the bed, and Sarah settled right beside him, laying her head on Chuck's shoulder. Stephen had quieted down now. Apparently he just needed some attention.

"Chuck?" Sarah's voice was quiet.

"Yeah sweetheart?"

"I want to ask you a question, and I want you to answer honestly."

"Of course I will baby. What's wrong?"

"Did you honestly believe we would ever get here? I mean, we're married, we're parents, we own our own company, we stopped doing dangerous work. It just all seems so…."

"Perfect?" Chuck supplied.

"Exactly. It almost feels too good to be true." Sarah was beaming from ear to ear, showing a toothy grin. Chuck smiled back with one of his reserved-for-Sarah-smiles. "But honestly Chuck, if you told me six years ago that I would be a wife and a mother, I probably would have laughed in your face. Then maybe caused some bodily harm. Before I met you, I thought I would be a spy until I died. I thought I'd probably die on a mission, and I would die alone. I was all business, all the time. But the problem was, it was all fake."

"What do you mean, it was fake?" Chuck was curious now.

"What I mean is, sure, I was a CIA agent. I was an assassin. I followed orders without question. It was my life. It was all I thought I needed. But I was wrong."

"What changed?"

"I met you." Chuck couldn't help but smile. "When I met you, it was the first time I actually believed that there was a life beyond being a spy. I thought, maybe I can have that someday. Then it hit me."

"What hit you?"

"I realized that I wasn't that person. I looked at you, and for the first time in my life, I told myself it was OK. It was OK to love. It was OK to want a family, to want this. It was OK to not be a spy. If it wasn't for you, I don't know if I would ever have changed."

"I think you would've," Chuck replied honestly. "When you told me you were a CIA agent on that helipad on the roof, I almost couldn't believe it. During our first date, I got a glimpse at the real you. I knew it was who you actually were. Your smile, your laugh, you were genuine. A real person. So, I think, sooner or later you would have come to the same conclusion. I'm just glad I'm the one who helped you get there."

"Yes you dd. But I want you to know how guilty I feel. I pushed you away and hurt you so many times, and you just smiled and tried again. I was absolutely horrible to you."

"Sarah…"

"No, Chuck, let me finish." She grasped his hand, and used her other hand to gently stroke their son's back.

Chuck nodded.

"I rejected you when I knew exactly how you felt, because I felt the same way. It was hard for me. It was incredibly difficult to treat the love of my life like shit. But, you need to understand, I still thought I needed to be a spy first and foremost. I honestly thought that pushing you away would make you realize we could never be together, and you'd eventually give up. I'm so, so, so sorry, Chuck. It kills me to think I hurt you. And when you tried to have a real relationship with other people, I was jealous and made you feel horrible about it. I should have let you be happy."

"Sarah you're wrong. When I was with those other women, all I could think of was you. But I honestly thought you didn't have feelings for me, especially after the truth serum incident, so I never thought of how it would hurt you seeing me with another girl. I'm sorry Sarah. I was so selfish."

"No, Chuck, please. I'm the one who needs forgiving. I know we've never really talked about it, because I know how much it hurts, but I want you to know that after Prague, I honestly thought I couldn't love you anymore. That's why I dated Shaw. He was the complete opposite of you. He went through all the motions with none of the charm or romance. He was safe, I knew how I felt around him. I was scared about what I felt when I was with you. After Prague, I was so angry and hurt and blinded that I couldn't see that you did it for us. You walked away from me for us. That's why it makes me cringe to think about how I treated you after that. I know you always say that the past is forgiven and forgotten, but I don't think I will ever forgive myself for putting you through that. It's a testament to how great of a person you are that you actually gave me a second chance."

"Sarah, I was the one who didn't deserve a second chance. You put your career, your life, on the line for me and I walked away. I'll never forgive myself for that." Chuck said sadly.

"Chuck I was wrong in Prague. It wouldn't have been a real life. This, you, me and our son, this is real. This is simple. This is what I always wanted."

"So, I think it's fair to say, that even though we have a….complicated…..history, it helped us get here, so it can't all be bad."

"I guess that's fair," Sarah replied. Chuck could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Sarah, baby, don't cry. I forgave you so long ago for anything you ever did to hurt me. You have given me so much that i'm pretty sure the good way outweighs the bad. And even though we had some rough times, I always had a feeling we'd end up here."

"Did you now?" Sarah asked mischievously. "How do you figure?"

"Well, this is kind of embarrassing."

"Chuck, sweetie, you know you can tell me anything."

"I knew it because of my dream."

"I've heard this before….." Sarah said sarcastically, both of them thinking back to when the Intersect leaked into Chuck's dreams. "Tell me, Chuck."

"I kept having this recurring dream. It started maybe three or four months after I got the Intersect the first time. In it, we were living in a house, not dissimilar from this one, we were married, we had kids, and above all, we were happy. You were happy. I could always see your genuine smile and hear your laugh. At first, I just thought it was my subconscious teasing me. You know, showing me what I'd never have. But, after a while, I saw how you acted around me. Even though your body language said one thing, your eyes always told me the truth. After a while, I actually started to believe that maybe, somewhere deep down, you wanted that life too. Then, we had the mission in the suburbs. That's when I was sure. Even after you said we couldn't go back there, that it was all a cover, I knew it meant more to you. I saw how you were. That's when I knew, for sure, that someday we'd end up right here. And you know what, It's way better than I ever dreamed or imagined."

Sarah had begun crying while Chuck was telling her about his dreams. She was quietly sobbing, wiping her eyes on Chuck's t-shirt.

"It's OK baby….it's OK…." Chuck was now trying to console his wife. His son was asleep in his arms after crying it out, and now his wife was sobbing on his shoulder. Chuck wouldn't have it any other way.

"Telling you we couldn't go back to the cul-de-sac was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," Sarah said after a minute of silence. "I knew what it meant to you, but I don't think I ever told you what it meant to me. That mission…it was really the beginning of the end for me. I guess you could argue the day I met you was the beginning of the end of my spy life, but the suburbs mission was different. That was when I realized that this is where I was supposed to be. With you. I kept clouding my thoughts with protocol and professionalism, but in the end, I couldn't escape the simple fact that I love you. I cooked breakfast for you that morning because I wanted to. I wanted to show you I could be the woman, the wife, that you deserve. And to tell you the truth, I was kind of hoping you'd make a move. But then we got captured, and we almost died, and you ended up saving my life - again. And after all that, I rejected you. But you still came back. I don't know why you always did. I gave you a million reasons to run and none to stay."

"That's not true at all Sarah. Sure you gave me a ton of reasons to leave, but there was always one reason to stay, and that trumped anything and everything. I had realized long before that I couldn't live without you. I loved you. I love you. That's what kept me coming back. That's why I'm never leaving your side. You filled the empty void in my life. I was breathing before I met you, but I wasn't _alive_. You taught me what it is to live. Never forget that, Sarah. You saved me more times than I can count, and not just physically."

"I love you." They said at almost the same exact time. They followed that up with a tender, loving kiss.

"Thank you Chuck. For believing in me. For loving me."

"You never have to thank me for that, Sarah. Just love me back."

"Always. Forever."

It was now almost four thirty. They had been sitting and talking for almost an hour. Chuck got up and put Stephen back to bed, and he just curled further into his blankets, contented with being in his crib. His parents crawled back into their bed, and, as always, got into their favored position.

The sun peeked through the blinds much too soon, and before they knew it, their son was awake again. He was hungry and he needed a change. He began to wail loudly, hoping to wake his parents from their current slumber.

"Grrrrrrr," Sarah groaned. "I don't wanna!" She sounded like a four year old. Chuck chuckled at his wife.

"Come on, baby, he's hungry, and I can't exactly do anything about that," Chuck said as he reached down to stroke Sarah's golden locks.

"Fine. You change him while I get ready to give him breakfast," Sarah pouted. Chuck took her face in his hands and kissed her on the lips. They never got out of bed without kissing each other good morning.

"Yes ma'am. Do you think maybe after he gets his breakfast, I could get some too?" Sarah knew he wasn't talking about pancakes. She grinned at him and licked her lips. Chuck knew it was going to be an awesome morning.

**2017. Parking Garage. Chicago, IL.**

_"John Casey," the man who got out of the Impala said. "You and your team pissed of some pretty scary people."_

"It's good to see you Nate," Casey said to him, "this is my team. Chuck and Sarah Bartowski, and my son-in-law, Morgan Grimes."

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm Nate Stackhouse. I used to work with this big lug here."

"Thanks for helping us out," Chuck said to Nate. "We really appreciate it. We're grateful for anything that would help our current situation." Chuck didn't know how much Casey had told Nate, so he didn't want to let anything slip. Wisely, Morgan also kept his mouth shut.

"Casey's helped me out more times than I'd like to admit. When he told me his daughter was taken, I knew I had to help. So I checked some backchannels and found some chatter."

They motioned for Nate to continue.

"I found that the people who took Alex are really after you guys, but I'm sure you've figured that out by now. They're based out of New England. I've narrowed it down to Connecticut and Rhode Island. I cross-referenced all of the un-redacted files I could find on you, and found no connections. I have come to the conclusion that whoever this is, they're doing it because of personal reasons. They have a good deal of power, unlimited money, and are very determined to make you suffer. Whoever they are, they've done a good job of staying hidden, so I would venture a guess that they are at least familiar with CIA and NSA tactics and protocol. I'm guessing they're either former or rogue spies."

Chuck had come to some of the same conclusions himself, but it helped to have them validated.

"The good news, if you can call it that, is that I don't believe they will hurt Alex. They want you too much to risk their only piece of leverage." Casey and Morgan let out a sigh of relief. It was only short-lived, however, once they realized Alex was still in grave danger. Nate continued, "I think you have to meet with them. I don't see any other way. Until you know who they are, where they are, and exactly what they want, they hold all of the cards. I would suggest recon. How do you think you're going to find them?"

Chuck smiled.

"I have an idea about that, actually," Chuck stated to the whole group.

"Casey, how do you feel about taking a little trip?"


	10. Angel

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.**

_"I have an idea about that, actually," Chuck stated to the whole group._

_"Casey, how do you feel about taking a little trip?" _

Chuck had a sly grin plastered on his face. Everyone else just looked confused. They usually were until Chuck clued them in to his master plan.

"I'll bite Bartowski. What have you got in mind?" Casey asked Chuck while Sarah, Morgan and Nate looked on expectantly.

"So it's obvious now that they want us for some reason," Chuck waved his arms, motioning to all of them. "We're going to give them you, Casey."

The group stood in silence for a few moments, contemplating the implications of Chuck's idea.

"How do you plan on pulling this off?" Nate was curious. After all, all he knew about Chuck was what Casey had told him. Chuck didn't look or seem like a master spy, but Casey had told him crazy stories about him in the field. Some of them sounded like they were straight out of a comic book or a Hollywood action film. Especially the story Casey told him abut Chuck disarming a nuclear bomb using a juice box. That one was simply unbelievable.

"Well, Nate, I'm glad you asked," Chuck replied while a smile formed on his face. "We already have a bug in our friend Mr. Smith over there. He doesn't know about it. Casey, I'm going to take the extra precaution of bugging you as well. I'm going to give you the same tracker I gave him - a JB-21, and I'm also going to give you this earbud." Chuck held out his hand. In it was an incredibly compact earpiece that would all but disappear in one's ear. "It's virtually undetectable. It automatically turns off if it is alerted there is a bug sweeper active anywhere in its vicinity."

Nate seemed impressed. "Where'd you get that?"

"I made it," Chuck replied without hesitation. "About three years ago. I was bored and I decided to see if I could improve the design."

"Why don't you sell it? You could make millions." Nate was serious. Chuck and Sarah couldn't help but let out a small laugh at his suggestion. They already had enough money that their grandchildren wouldn't have to work a day in their lives if they didn't want to.

"We didn't sell it because we don't need the money, and Chuck didn't create it for that purpose. He was honestly just fooling around, and now that we're on this mission, we thought it might be useful in the field. But nobody outside this team is going to use this technology. We wouldn't want it falling in the wrong hands. We know from experience how the government likes to 'misplace' top secret intel and tech." Sarah answered for Chuck. As usual, he didn't mind.

"Fair enough," Nate replied. "I never saw it." He knew the drill. He had known Casey long enough to understand the consequences of looking like he wasn't cooperating or being honest. And truthfully he wanted to help. Casey had saved his life multiple times, and he wanted to repay the debt, even though he knew they would never be fully even.

"OK Casey. Here," Chuck handed him the earpiece. "It activates once it's in your ear. You can speak normally and it will pick it up, or you can whisper like you're talking into a throat mike, and it'll pick that up too. We'll hear everything you do."

Casey carefully put the bug in his ear and tested it. It was working perfectly.

"Alright Bartowski. Now do you mind cluing us in on your grand scheme?" Casey had a hint of sarcasm in his voice, which he usually did when he talked to Chuck.

"We're going to have Smith contact his client through his secure e-mail. He's going to tell him that he was tailing us, and Casey was sent to stop him. He's going to say he captured Casey." Casey grunted loudly and scoffed. "He's also going to tell them his 'partner' is still tailing us, therefore giving him an excuse to be alone. He's going to convince his client to meet him to hand over Casey, although I don't see him having to be too persuasive, if I'm right about this. Maybe this will lead us to someone higher up on the food chain, and they can lead us to someone above them. I know it isn't a perfect plan by any stretch, but it's all I've got right now. We can't waste any more time."

Sarah was standing next to her husband, an obvious look of pride on her face. Of course she knew how smart Chuck was, but it never ceased to amaze her when he would come up with plans almost instantly. She was looking up at him, smiling widely.

"Guys, trust me. It's going to work," Chuck said emphatically, grinning to try to lessen the tension. He noticed Morgan had been incredibly quiet. Actually, he hadn't really spoken a word since they met Nate. Chuck pulled Morgan aside and walked a few feet away from the rest of the group so they could speak in private.

"What's wrong buddy?" Chuck asked once they were alone.

"Nothing," Morgan replied, void of any emotion.

"Morgan I've known you for over twenty five years. I think I can tell when something's bothering you." Chuck put his hand on his friend's shoulder, giving him a light squeeze. He wanted to remind Morgan he was there for him.

"I know, Chuck. I'm just worried about Alex."

"That's not it. At least, that's not all of it." Chuck could tell it was something deeper than that.

"I'm just terrified about what happens when we get her back," Morgan finally said. At least he was confident we're gonna get her back, Chuck thought. That's a start. "I mean, I let her down, Chuck. And don't tell me it wasn't my fault. I'm her husband. I'm supposed to protect her, and she was taken from our bed. _While I was in it_. I can't believe Casey hasn't killed me yet. This is all my fault. Maybe if I was bigger or tougher I could've stopped them and protected her. I failed." Morgan was looking at the ground, refusing to meet Chuck's eye.

"Morgan," Chuck tried to get Morgan to look him in the eye. Morgan finally met his gaze, and Chuck saw desperation and fear in his best friend. "I know how you feel. Trust me. I know what it feels like to have the person you love the most in this world in danger. But the fact remains that we're going to get her back. We are. Never doubt that. And Casey hasn't shot you yet because he believes in you. We all do. We know you would do anything to get Alex back, and you inspire us to do the same. He knows how much you mean to Alex, and how much you mean to him. You're his son, Morgan, as crazy as that sounds." Morgan let a hint of a smile escape before he schooled his features. Chuck saw it. "Morgan, don't feel guilty. I know how hard it is to not, but you need to understand this wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for this. It's going to be OK buddy."

Morgan nodded slowly, and Chuck felt that maybe he had started to get through to him. At the very least, Morgan would be OK for now. Chuck gave him a hug, which Morgan desperately needed. Then they walked back over to the group, who were discussing the advantages of .45 caliber handguns. When they noticed Chuck and Morgan, they quieted down, apparently giving Chuck the floor again.

"OK team. Here's the deal. I'm going to fill Smith in on the plan. I'll make sure he knows that you're in charge, Casey. As if you needed help being imposing." Chuck smiled, and almost got a grin out of Casey. Almost. He continued, "we'll be tracking you in the Suburban, while you're in the other one with Smith. We don't need to physically tail you because we have multiple ways of tracking you. So we'll be a couple miles back. If anything goes wrong, and I mean anything, you signal us. What do you want to use as a code word?" Chuck asked Casey.

"Moron."

"What? I just asked what you want to use…."

"No, moron, the code word is 'moron'." Casey retorted.

"Oh, I got it." Chuck laughed, which caused everyone else to chuckle a bit.

They made sure that all the trackers were working, and Chuck loaded an app onto Sarah and Morgan's phones so they could track them as well. After a minute, Nate spoke up.

"Guys, I know I don't know you three that well, but I'd really like to help." Nate said sincerely. Chuck looked at Casey, who gave him the slightest nod of his head. Then he looked at Morgan, who did the same. Sarah just squeezed Chuck's hand to let him know she was on board.

"Sounds good Nate. We could always use another set of trained hands. We'd appreciate anything you could do to help."

"OK. I'm going to leave my car here and come with you guys," Nate said to Chuck.

They went over the plan one more time to make sure everyone knew it in and out, and then Chuck got in the trunk of the Suburban and explained it to Smith, who was thoroughly impressed. Maybe this Bartowski guy was actually a good spy, he thought to himself.

As they pulled out of the parking garage, with Chuck behind the wheel, Sarah reached over and took his hand in hers.

"I'm proud of you Chuck. I hope this works."

"Me too, baby, me too."

**2012. Echo Park, CA.**

_"This is real? You really love me?"_

_"With all of my heart."_

_She was now trying to fight him, and he refused to fight back. The anger and confusion built inside of her._

_Now they were on a beach that seemed never-ending. Chuck refused to look at her, just shook his head and walked away._

_"I love you Chuck! Please! I'm sorry!" She couldn't stop him from walking away. "I'll do anything! I swear! It's me, Chuck! It's Sarah!" He just kept walking, his back turned to her. _

_"CHUCK!" He was almost gone now. He was but a speck on the horizon. It seemed no matter how far he walked, Sarah could still see him. She was shattering from the inside out. She collapsed and all her emotions hit her at once. Rage, fear, anxiety, worry, jealousy, regret, longing, but most of all, love, paralyzed her. She couldn't move. She could barely speak. She could only eek out a whisper._

_"Chuck…please….Chuck…don't do this….." She kept repeating it over and over again. She could still see him, off in the distance, leaving her. It was all her fault, and she knew it. "I love you, Chuck. Nothing else matters. I don't care about anything else in my life but you. Please come back to me, Chuck. I know I fucked up and I know you're hurting. Please, Chuck, please. Please…."_

This was the third time Sarah had this nightmare, and it had only been two weeks since Chuck got her back at the beach. She tried to hide it from him at first. Their relationship was still fragile, and she was wary of anything that might hurt it in the slightest. Of course, Chuck figured it out fairly quickly. She was waking up at all hours, sweating, panting, and sometimes screaming. What scared Chuck the most was what he saw in her eyes. He had only seen it a few times on Sarah, but it still shook him right down to his core.

Fear.

It was so unlike Sarah to be afraid. She was a highly trained espionage operative, after all. Chuck had witnessed her do things that would cause grown men to piss their pants at the thought of it. The **only **way Sarah was this fearful was if she thought she was going to lose him, he thought. After all, she had put him through hell, and they had just barely come out the other side. Chuck could have left Sarah, sure, and not too many people would have blamed him. She gave him every reason to leave.

Chuck had finally had enough of the charade, so this time, when he could obviously tell Sarah was having the same recurring nightmare, he took it upon himself to find out what the hell was going on in his bed. She still had her head laid on his chest, but she was breathing heavily, whimpering, and he could make out the words 'Chuck' and 'please'. He gently took hold of her shoulders and began shaking her ever so lightly. He could sense her heart skip a beat. Her eyes suddenly shot open, and when Chuck looked into the baby blues that constituted the bulk of his universe, he wanted nothing more than to make the pain go away. He searched for the right words - any words, really. For one of the first times in his life, Chuck Bartowski came up empty. He just kept staring into her soul, wiling her with his eyes to open up to him, to share with him, to help him help her.

After a few moments, Sarah gathered enough courage to speak one word, and one word only. It was the question that had been running around her head ever since the nightmares started.

"Why?" She asked him barely above a whisper. Chuck brushed a couple strands of hair behind her ear. He held her face in his hands and looked her directly in the eye.

"You know why," was his soft reply. She wanted to know why Chuck had come back, why he had given her another shot, why he hadn't just given up. Sarah closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. She softly laid her head back down on Chuck's chest and thought. She knew the answer. It was as simple as 'love', but it was way more complicated than that. What they had truly transcended the bounds of normal human interaction. They were connected on a much deeper level. Their souls were forever intertwined, and their formerly separate lives were now one. Sarah knew all this, of course, but her betrayal was still fresh in her mind. She thought about how she would react if their roles had been reversed and it was Chuck who lost all his memories. She knew without a doubt or the slightest hesitation that she would have never left Chuck. She would never leave him.

"I know," she finally whispered. "I do. It's just that it was so recent. And I did absolutely horrible things to you while you never stopped trying to help me. You can't imagine how guilty I feel, baby. I understand if you can never totally forgive me. I don't deserve to be your wife, not now at least." She was sobbing now, the tears running freely down her cheeks onto Chuck's chest.

"I never want to hear you say that ever again," Chuck's tone was incredibly grave. He rarely used it, but when he did, Sarah knew there was no hint of joking or sarcasm. This was as serious as Chuck got. "You are my wife. Forever. I love you more than I could express in a hundred lifetimes. I love you so much it hurts to be away from you for more than a second. I'm not going to lie, what happened hurt me. A lot. But you need to understand this Sarah. It was not your fault. I do not, and will never, blame you for any of it. Ever. It's in the past now, sweetheart. Oh, and just so you know, if I could, I would marry you every day for the rest of our lives. Marrying you was the best thing I have ever done, and is one of the only things in my life I will never ever regret. I'm not just telling you this because you had a nightmare, Sarah. I'm telling you this because it's the truth and you need to believe it."

Chuck saw a smile quickly pass over Sarah's lips before she buried her face back into Chuck's chest. He could feel her heart rate slowing. He had gotten through to her.

"Chuck?" Her tone could melt Chuck's heart. He could hear the love in just that one syllable. He gave her a squeeze to encourage her to continue. "I don't know what to say. Honestly. You always know exactly what I need to hear. I know I've already told you a million times, but I'm so, so sorry. You are my life, my entire world. I wouldn't survive a day without you. I live for you. I hope you know that." Chuck nodded, a grin starting to form on his face. "I know that sometimes I'm not the perfect wife by any stretch, but I promise you that I'm going to spend the rest of our lives being the wife and mother you deserve. I owe you at least that."

"Sarah, you don't owe me anyth….wait….did you say 'mother'?" Chuck blurted it out before he thought about it. What if she hadn't meant it? And now that he had repeated it, what if it scared her even more? Does she really want that? I don't want her to do it because I want kids, he thought. Well, it's out in the open now, so they might as well deal with it.

"Yeah…." Her voice was soft and questioning. "I thought you wanted a family? Children?"

"Of course I do, baby, but I don't want you to feel like you have an obligation or anything just because it's what I want. A marriage consists of two people."

"Chuck, can I be honest for a second?" Now Chuck was suddenly terrified. She was going to say it. She didn't want kids. She didn't want kids with him. Chuck had always dreamed of his perfect life consisting of a big family, happy, leading a normal life. He understood that when he married Sarah, he gave up the right to a typical normal life, but he still hoped that someday they would decide together to have children. It was what Chuck wanted most in this world, after Sarah of course.

"Um, ok," Chuck's voice was unsure. Sarah knew what he was probably thinking, and even though she hated seeing him hurt like that, it was going to make what she was about to say that much sweeter.

"There is nothing I want or need more this world than to be the mother of your children, Chuck Bartowski. I can honestly say that I can not wait for the day we welcome a beautiful baby boy who has your curls and eyes. I can't wait to be a mom. To your kids."

"Our kids," Chuck corrected quickly. He was now smiling ear-to-ear and their hands had found each other at Chuck's side.

"Our kids," Sarah repeated. She was now sporting a heart-stopping smile of her own. This was not how she had envisioned this conversation playing out, but it turned out better than she could have ever hoped for. How could she have ever doubted him? He had proven to her time and again that no matter what, he still loved her. She just hoped he knew she felt the same way.

"I love you," she stated. It wasn't forced or strained, it was just right.

"I love you," Chuck replied, giving her a kiss after. He broke it off way too soon for Sarah's liking, and she gave him a pout. "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking…." She looked up at Chuck and once she caught his eye she grinned mischievously, and licked her lips slowly. "I was thinking that tonight is as good a time as any to get started on our family, Mr. Bartowski."

"Your wish is my command, Mrs. Bartowski." Chuck took ahold of Sarah and flipped her onto her back. He hovered above her, peppering kisses down her neck. She moaned when he kissed the spot in between her breasts, and whispered for him to hurry up. He didn't have to be told twice.

An hour and two rounds later, they were in the same position as before, Chuck on his back with Sarah laying her head on his chest.

"I am the luckiest man in the world," Chuck had meant to say it to himself, but he had accidentally said it out loud, and Sarah heard. She quirked an eyebrow at him, and grinned.

"And you're about to get luckier," she said with fire in her voice. Before he knew it, she was straddling him, kissing him passionately.

Later, when they were cuddling, Chuck once again said the words Sarah desperately needed to hear, even if she already knew it was true.

"I'm never leaving you, baby. I wouldn't make it ten steps without you by my side."

Sarah never had that nightmare again.

**Late 2016. Bartowski Household. Burbank, CA.**

They had moved Emily to her nursery about two weeks ago. She had been getting better at sleeping through the nights, but she still woke up at least once a night. Chuck didn't mind getting up to take care of her, but Sarah always was disappointed when her pillow left her alone in the wee hours of the morning. Stephen was almost four years old now, and he took after his father, sleeping like a log most nights. He also could sleep through most disturbances, also like his father.

This time, Chuck woke up when he heard Emily fussing over the baby monitor. Sarah had, over the years, learned how to sleep like a normal person. She used to sleep so light that if Chuck even sighed, she would wake up. Now, she slept much deeper, but she still tended to wake up if Chuck left the bed, no matter how sneaky and gentle he thought he was being.

Chuck executed his well-practiced move of rolling Sarah onto her back gingerly and extracting himself from her death grip. If he was being super-attentive he would've noticed the shift in her breathing when he rolled her. She was awake, but faking being asleep. When Chuck got up off the bed, Sarah peeked out of her right eye and saw him putting a t-shirt on. She frowned at him covering up his body. He crept out of the room as sneakily as he could, and Sarah played along, feigning sleep.

She could hear Chuck slowly making his way down the hall towards the nursery. Sarah waited a few moments until she knew Chuck was in Emily's room and would be distracted. She got up and quickly threw a robe on.

Chuck walked into the nursery and immediately could hear Emily quietly crying. It always broke his heart when his daughter cried, even though he understood she was a baby, and it was an integral part of growing up. He quickly was at her crib side and picked her up, cradling her into his shoulder. He started slowly rocking her back and forth, and he could tell Emily was quieting down. He checked her diaper - clean. Sarah had fed her a few hours ago, so he doubted she was hungry. She just wanted some attention, and Chuck was more than happy to spend time with her.

Sarah utilized her years of spy training to silently make her way towards the nursery. She carefully stepped over the spot in the hallway that always creaked when it was even lightly stepped on. She smiled to herself, thinking of how ridiculous it was that she was literally trying to spy on her own husband and daughter. But she was curious. As she got closer to the nursery, she could hear Chuck's soothing voice, comforting Emily.

"And that was when I asked your Mommy to marry me. It wasn't exactly how either of us dreamed it would be, but it was perfect. I wouldn't trade the look on her face for anything in the world."

Sarah was standing outside the nursery, her back against the wall, hidden from view. She slowly slid down until she was sitting in the hallway. She couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"You see, sweetie pie, I had dreamed of marrying your Mom for a long time. Honestly, I was done the first time I saw her smile. And then, there I was, standing there, waiting for the most beautiful woman in the world to walk down the aisle and say 'I Do'. Right before, when I was with your Uncle Morgan, I kept asking him if I was dreaming. I still couldn't believe a girl like your Mom would want to spend the rest of her life with me. Don't get me wrong, I know your Mom loves me, it's just that sometimes when I'm with her, it's as if every single one of my dreams has come true."

The tears were now coming steadily, and she made no attempt to stop or even wipe them away.

"Another funny thing about your Mommy. When I met her, she never really listened to music. And you know Daddy loves music. So, I made it my mission to introduce your Mom to all kinds of music. I would make her CDs of great songs. Now, I never told your Mom this, but I put most of the songs on there because they were love songs, and back then I wanted nothing in the world more than your Mom to love me even half as much as I love her. Later on, I made her mixes even after we got engaged and married, because me and your Mom both love to share music with each other. One of her favorite artists now is a guy called Jack Johnson. You've heard both me and your Mom sing you songs by him, but I want to sing you one of my absolute favorite songs by him. It's a song about your Mom. You and your brother are in too, though."

Chuck softly began singing to Emily, in the rocking chair, cradling her in his arms. Sarah tried desperately not to make any noise, which was becoming more difficult as she shed tears of joy harder and harder.

**I've got an angel**

**She doesn't wear any wings**

**She wears a heart that can melt my own**

**She wears a smile that can make me wanna sing**

**She gives me presents**

**With her presence alone**

**She gives me everything I could wish for**

**She gives me kisses on the lips just for coming home**

**She could make angels**

**I've seen it with my own eyes**

**You gotta be careful when you've got good love**

**Cause the angels will just keep on multiplying**

**But you're so busy changing the world**

**Just one smile can change all of mine**

**We share the same soul**

**Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh**

**We Share the same soul**

**Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh**

**We Share the same soul**

**Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh**

As Chuck ended the song, Emily closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

"I thought you'd like that song tigger," Chuck whispered. "I'm sure your Mom liked it too, if she could hear it out in the hallway…"

Chuck heard a soft, short laugh come from right outside the door. Then, feet shuffling, the sound of a back sliding up the wall, and finally, Sarah's head crept around the doorframe.

"Hi angel," Chuck said, grinning. He could see the tears on her face, and she was giving him a sparkling smile.

"Hi, Chuck." Chuck had never heard her whisper that softly.

"Did you her all that?"

"Mmmhmm. Thank you."

"Sit with me?"

Sarah just nodded and slowly walked to Chuck. He got up, and they made their way to the love seat. Chuck handed Emily to Sarah and she didn't wake up, just nuzzled herself into her Mom's shoulder. Sitting there, Chuck had to pinch himself. How lucky was he? Here was the most beautiful woman ever, who he had somehow conned into marrying him, holding their daughter. Their daughter, who happened to be a carbon copy of her mother, right down to the sparkle in her blue eyes and the dimples that appeared only when she smiled at her parents. It truly was like all his dreams had come true.

"Chuck?"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Remember when I told you I thought I'd make a horrible mother?" Chuck couldn't figure out why she had said it at the time, or why she was repeating it now. She continued. "Thank you for helping me prove myself wrong."

"Anytime," was his simple response. She smiled and opened her mouth slightly, asking for a kiss. Chuck reached over and gave her a long, tender kiss that ended up being a little sloppy. Neither of them minded. When they broke, Chuck spoke softly to Sarah, trying not to wake Emily up.

"You know that you're a wonderful mother, Sarah. I'm not going to sit here and go into a long drawn out speech about all of the things that make you such a great mom, because we'd be here for days. I'm just so incredibly proud of you. You never complained and you were so brave during both pregnancies. And i'm not just talking about the physical stuff. I know it's hard for you, and I want you to know that I think you're the best mom a kid could ask for. But i'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I always knew you could do it. You can do anything, remember? You're Sarah."

Sarah smiled as Chuck spoke, and when he said the last thing she flashed back to that rooftop in downtown LA. When Chuck was about to be taken from her, and she couldn't help but let the tears fall. He had told her then that she could do anything. Because she's Sarah. When he said it then, she couldn't help the giggle that escaped. Now, so many years later, it meant all the much more. He had always believed in her. He would never give up on her, he had proven that. He had unwavering faith in her abilities as a wife, a mother, a partner, and a friend. He was the first person that had ever trusted her so completely, and she made sure that she reciprocated the sentiment.

They sat there in complete bliss for another half hour. Sarah finally slowly got up and gently put Emily back into her crib. Chuck noticed the vacant seat next to him, and was suddenly standing at Sarah's side, both of them looking down at their daughter. They both kissed her goodnight and walked slowly hand in hand back to the master bedroom. They got back into bed, at which point Sarah looked up at Chuck from her position tangled in his limbs.

"I love you, Chuck. Always, forever."

"I love you, Sarah. Until the end of time."

They always loved being corny.

**2017. Chicago, IL.**

They had a rendezvous in a parking lot about ten minutes from the garage. Chuck got out and went over to speak with Smith. Sarah could see that Chuck was nervous about the plan, even if he wouldn't say it. There were a ton of variables, and Casey would be in real danger, but neither of those reasons had ever stopped them before.

"OK Smith. It's time for you to contact them," Chuck said as he got in to the passenger seat next to him.

"Alright," Smith replied. He took out his secured PDA, opened up the server, and began typing exactly what Chuck was dictating.

_Tailed them downtown. _

_Cover was blown. _

_Targets attempted to apprehend me. _

_Now have John Casey in custody. _

_Lost the others, partner still in field searching. _

_Orders?_

When Smith finished typing, he looked at Chuck and asked, "Shouldn't I ask them to meet me?"

"No," Chuck smirked. "I want them to initiate contact. It won't be suspicious that way. Once they see you have Casey, they should want to meet in person, or at least figure out a way for you to get them him. If they are the ones who suggest a meet, they have no reason to suspect you. If anything, they now trust you more since they think you captured Casey."

"Smart." Smith was impressed.

They waited there for a reply on Smith's PDA. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Then an hour.

Finally, Smith's PDA beeped and vibrated. He had one unread e-mail. He opened it up and handed it to Chuck.

_Well done._

_Secure Colonel Casey._

_Will contact you soon with meeting place and time._

_Be vigilant about tails._

_Start heading south._

Chuck smiled when he read the e-mail. They bought it. The fish had taken the bait. He informed the rest of the team of the development, and could tell that they were relieved the first part of the plan had worked.

"They seem to not suspect anything," Chuck said. "But all that means is that we have to be even more careful and aware. We can't afford to screw up now." Everyone nodded in agreement. "We're going to start heading south. Casey, I want you at least a mile ahead of us on the highway. Remember, I can hear everything you do. Signal me if _anything_ seems off or wrong. We can't take any chances."

They silently loaded up into the Suburbans. Morgan seemed to be a bit nervous to Chuck, but he had bigger fish to fry. Sarah also noticed, and since she was sitting shotgun, took it upon herself to try to comfort Morgan. She was distracting him, talking to him about how Stephen was about to start taking karate lessons. That left Chuck to wander around in his own head, thinking about the ramifications of this plan failing. They could all be captured and thrown in the same dark, dank room Alex was currently in. Of course, there was always the chance that one of them could be gravely injured or even die. That was a risk they used to take without really thinking about it when they were agents, but now it was different. Chuck and Sarah had kids waiting for them to come home. He simply could not allow anything to happen to any of them. He made a silent promise to himself while driving that Suburban south out of Chicago. He would do anything and everything in his power to not only get Alex back, but keep everyone safe. He was going to need everything he had learned as a spy, as well as everything the Intersect had to offer.

Chuck now knew one indisputable fact - it was going to get much worse before it started getting better.

**A/N: I know the whole Sarah-spying-on-Chuck-in-the-nursery thing has been done, but it's just too sweet to not do. I hope mine was at least a little original!**


	11. Michigan

**A/N: Thanks for all the awesome reviews! I have some great ideas for the next chapter, I just needed a filler to get to where I want to be. Keep reading! I appreciate all the feedback, good and constructive!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.**

They spent three hours driving. They turned east around Gary, Indiana, and were now almost to Detroit. Casey and Smith were about four miles ahead on the highway, and Chuck was keeping track of them on the car's GPS, which he had hacked in short order. Actually, it was so easy, he kept driving and simply told Sarah what to do, and in less than five minutes, they were tracking Casey's Suburban on the screen.

Chuck wondered where Smith was leading them. Suddenly his iPhone buzzed. It was sitting in a cupholder between him and Sarah. She picked it up and showed it to Chuck. It was a text from Casey's secure phone.

**Smith got another e-mail. They want us to shack up for the night. Stopping at a Motel 6. Stay at least two towns away. **

"Sweetie, open up Maps on my phone and find us a motel, please," Chuck asked Sarah. She nodded and soon found a Best Western five minutes away. She directed Chuck to the exit.

"Remember, we need to pay in cash and use aliases," Chuck said. "They can't know that we're following Casey and Smith, obviously." Sarah, Morgan, and Nate nodded in agreement.

They went in separately to the lobby of the hotel. Chuck and Sarah went in first, acting like a married couple on vacation, driving across America. They got a room using one of the many aliases Chuck invented, Charles and Sarah Bumgardner. Sarah giggled at their new last name, which prompted Chuck to shrug his shoulders and mouth, "I dunno".

Morgan and Nate followed about fifteen minutes later, and got a room with two double beds, posing as businessmen. Nate had just joined the team, but he was impressed at all the precautions they were taking. It sure didn't seem like this team had quit the spy game, he though to himself. Or maybe they were just that good.

Chuck texted Morgan to tell him unless anything came up, they were to meet after breakfast tomorrow to get back on the road. Chuck was happy there was someone with Morgan, because he knew how hard it was going to be for his friend to try to sleep without Alex. It probably helped that they weren't back in LA, and they were at least on the hunt for her.

"Sarah, i'm hungry," Chuck said after lying on the bed for about a half hour. "Can we get some food?"

Sarah was in the bathroom doing god-knows-what. She had been in there going on twenty minutes. Chuck was starting to get impatient, and he could hear his tummy rumbling. He picked up his iPhone and began looking for restaurants in their vicinity.

"Baby, we can go get some steak or we can get Italian. There are quite a few places close to here. What do you want to do?" Chuck was intently looking down at his phone, and therefore didn't notice Sarah exit the bathroom.

"Chuck," Sarah softly called.

"Hmm?" Chuck didn't look up.

"Chuuuck," she said, decisively more seductively.

As soon as Chuck took his eyes off his phone's screen, he saw his wife standing at the edge of the bed. Completely and totally nude. The phone fell to the floor. Chuck had forgotten its very existence. The only things Sarah _was _currently wearing were her wedding ring and her charm bracelet, as well as the smile that caused Chuck to turn into a bumbling mass of goo.

"What were you asking me honey?" Sarah asked innocently, her hands on her hips, head cocked to the side.

"Doesn't matter….." Chuck's jaw was still wide open. He suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. OK, he was hungry, but he had a different sort of meal in mind.

"That's what I thought," Sarah said proudly. "We can order some delivery. In a while…"

She put her left knee on the bed and began climbing on all fours towards Chuck. He still couldn't form coherent sentences in his mind. He had seen his wife naked countless times, hell, they had two kids, but every single time, without fail, he was still in shock. And Sarah loved it, every single time.

When she had crawled all the way to Chuck, and was effectively lying on top of him, she gave him a long, passionate kiss which Chuck returned with zeal. They broke after the need for air trumped their carnal desires, for the moment at least.

"Chuck," Sarah whispered into his ear.

"Mmm," was all he could muster.

"Take me right now." It wasn't a question or a request. It was a demand. A demand which Chuck was more than happy to oblige. He grabbed her around the waist and expertly flipped them over so he was on top. Sarah grabbed his shirt and he raised his arms, allowing her to quickly dispose of it. Soon his pants joined his shirt on the floor. Before he knew it, he was in the throes of quite the passionate lovemaking session.

After two rounds, they finally got around to ordering a vegetarian pizza, no olives.

Meanwhile, two towns away, in a Motel 6, Casey and Smith sat on two double beds watching The History Channel.

"So, what's the deal with your team?" Smith asked after a long bout of silence. He found out on the drive that John Casey isn't much of a conversationalist, but he tried nonetheless.

"What do you mean?" Casey gruffly replied.

"Well, they just don't seem like the kind of people you meet in this business, at first glance anyways. I can tell the blonde used to be a spy, probably a damn good one. But her boyfriend is goofy, and the other guy just seems useless."

"First off, they're married." Casey was a little irritated. He had to educate this man now. "And she was the best damn spy I ever met. Her husband is the second best spy I ever met. We used to be one of the best damn teams in the business, and I'm not just saying that because I used to be a part of it. We were the best." Casey was not usually one for reminiscing, but he would never stand anyone talking bad about his team. "And I will not take any more condescending talk about my son-in-law. None. Understood?" His tone left no room for discussion.

"Yeah, I got it," Smith said, his voice racked with fear. "But she can't actually be serious about that guy? She's gorgeous, and he just seems like….a loser, I dunno."

Casey had to count to ten so he didn't lose his temper and shoot the only lead they had to Alex. Also, he was tired of people second guessing Chuck. Sure, he did it, but he was joking most of the time. He knew exactly what Chuck was capable of, and he was completely serious when he told people Chuck was one of the best spies he had ever met. It irked him that other people always denigrated, belittled, and questioned Chuck, especially when they didn't know him.

"OK Smith. First off, you would probably be in federal custody right now if it wasn't for Chuck. He decided to give you a chance to redeem yourself, and if I was you, I wouldn't waste it. Second, I'm only going to tell you this once. I don't want to hear anything like that ever come out of your mouth again. If it does, I will tell my partners. Trust me, you don't want to see either of them angry. Chuck would literally do anything for her, anything and everything. And that absolutely pales in comparison to how she feels about him. The things I have witnessed her do for him - let's just say, there's no question as to where her loyalty lies. If I was you, I wouldn't let them hear you say anything like that, if you value your testicles and your life that is."

Smith got quiet. He didn't really know how to respond, so he didn't. After a few minutes, he heard a grunt of satisfaction come from Casey's general direction.

Back at the Best Western, Morgan and Nate were relaxing in their room. Morgan had quickly found a Chinese restaurant that delivered, and taught Nate about the soothing qualities of dumplings and sizzling shrimp. They had talked a fair bit on the ride, and found they actually had a lot in common. Nate was a nerd at heart, so they found it easy to find topics to talk about. Nate wanted to keep Morgan's mind off of Alex, so he kept steering the conversation to things like new Xbox releases and debating their contradicting views on bringing back Battlestar Gallactica for another reboot.

Nate was happy to be part of a team again. He had worked on his own for so long. The NSA probably wasn't going to be happy about him going off-grid like this, but Casey had done it for him multiple times in the past. He figured he owed Casey at the least, but it felt like the right thing to do, helping him find his kidnapped daughter. It helped that he was getting along with everyone, especially Morgan. Nate had liked everyone immediately. They were friendly and welcoming, and he could tell right away they all had a special bond and were very close. Casey had always bragged this team up to him, and now he was getting a glimpse of what Casey meant.

"Nate, can I ask you a question?" Morgan asked after a while.

"Sure Morgan, shoot."

"You've been on a lot of missions, right?" He didn't wait for an answer, even though Nate nodded. "Tell me, honestly, what are our chances of getting Alex back? Don't lie to me, man. I know how dangerous it is."

Nate was quiet for a minute. He had to figure out the best way to broach this subject with Morgan. They couldn't afford for him to break down mentally in the middle of a mission, especially one where they needed him. When Alex needed him.

"Morgan, buddy, I know this is hard. From what I've heard from your team, and learned on my own, it seems they're using Alex to get to you guys. In that case, I doubt they would hurt her. I could always be wrong, and I have no idea who these people are and what they're capable of. But I'm certain of one thing, and that's the fact that John Casey will not rest until she is safe at home. And from what I've seen, I'm pretty sure Chuck and Sarah feel exactly the same way."

"Yeah," was all Morgan said in response. He didn't bring it back up, and they eventually settled down and watched a movie.

At around eleven o'clock, Chuck's phone buzzed with a new text. Chuck reached over to the nightstand, careful to not wake the angel sleeping on top of him, and grabbed his iPhone. Another text from Casey.

**Smith got e-mail. Niagara Falls. Tomorrow, 2 p.m. Canadian side.**

Chuck had always wanted to take Sarah to the falls and kiss her under them. He never thought they would go there for the first time on a mission. Maybe we can sneak off if we get some extra time, he thought. Then he scolded himself. This wasn't a vacation. Alex was out there somewhere, scared and alone. They needed to focus. Then again, it never hurts to release some tension if there's time. Chuck allowed himself to smile slightly, and bent down and kissed Sarah lovingly on the lips. She always looked so content asleep in his arms.

**2012. Echo Park, CA.**

For the first few weeks, Sarah's memories came flooding back. Like she had told Chuck at the beach, it was all a little foggy and hazy, but as each day went by, everything was becoming clearer.

She would find herself doing a mundane task, like cleaning dishes, and suddenly flash back to some memory of her and Chuck. Some of them were happy memories, like when she remembered the first time they made love in Paris. Some of them were sad memories, like when she remembered Chuck dumping her for Lou the sandwich girl. She had just had a flashback of that day when Chuck found her sitting on the kitchen floor, using the dishtowel to wipe her tears.

"Sarah, what is it?" Chuck rushed to her side with genuine worry. Ever since her memory was wiped, he feared the worst twenty-four hours a day. She couldn't blame him, of course.

"I just had a flashback, that's all, Chuck." She tried to assuage his fears. However, the fact she told him he had a flashback coupled with the state he found her in guaranteed him asking her to explain.

Chuck was silent. He just wrapped her up in his arms and held her as close as he could.

"I'm sorry," he softly whispered.

"For what?" She asked. Why was he apologizing?

"Whatever I did to make you cry. I never want to hurt you, Sarah, and it absolutely kills me to see you like this."

"You're apologizing for something that happened years ago? And you don't even know what my flashback was about." Sarah truly didn't want him to feel guilty or feel like any of this was his fault. She had caused him so much pain, and that was always the last thing she ever wanted to do.

"What was it?" He quietly asked.

After a minute, Sarah responded.

"I flashed back to the day you dumped me for Lou. Technically you cover-dumped me." Despite the situation, she actually giggled a little bit.

"Sarah…." Chuck knew how she was feeling. He had regretted that day ever since it happened. "I'm so so sorry. I'm not going to sit here and give you excuses. I fucked up, plain and simple. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Sarah Bartowski. The best. I feel awful knowing you had to just relive that terrible day. I have regretted it ever since. I took you for granted, and I was being absolutely selfish. I never stopped to think how it would affect you. I was just so wrapped up in my own issues that I forgot the thing that was most important in my life - you."

"Chuck it's okay," Sarah softly replied. "It was years ago. And I don't think it really matters in the grand scheme of things, since I'm the one that's married to you." That got the smile she was looking for. "Maybe all that crap we went through early in our relationship all happened for a reason. Maybe it was to prove to us that we could get through anything, as long as we did it together. I mean, we're kind of proving that right now, aren't we?" Chuck nodded. "And I don't want you to apologize Chuck. Obviously I have forgiven you. It's just that, when I have a flashback like that, I'm literally back in that moment. I felt exactly like I did when you came in and dumped me. I felt the regret and the anger and the fear as I watched you walk over to her sandwich shop. It's just tough to live through all that again."

"I know baby, I know. I'm so-" His word was cut off by Sarah's lip on his mouth, silently telling him to not even utter the word 'sorry'.

"But, Chuck, not all of them are bad flashbacks. Yesterday I remembered our impromptu train trip in France." Now they were both grinning, remembering their days spent locked in their compartment exploring each other. Releasing years of sexual tension.

"Every time I woke up on that train I thought I was dreaming," Chuck blurted out. Sarah looked at him quizzically. "Come on, Sarah. We spent three years dancing around each other, and then suddenly we were together. It was so…..unreal, amazing, indescribable. Those still are some of the best days of my life." Sarah leaned over and kissed Chuck, tears running down her cheeks. Tears of joy now.

"I love you," Sarah said as their lips broke apart.

"I love you," Chuck said emphatically before he captured her lips again.

After a couple minutes, they leaned back to catch their breaths.

"Chuck, when did you know?"

"When did I know what? That I love you? That's easy, the first time you smiled at me. When did I know I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you? Midway through our first date, when you laughed at one of my stupid jokes. When did I know that you love me? If I hadn't figured it out by then, when you were about to draw down on Longshore. What about you?"

"Well I figured out that I was in love with you when it became obvious that you had replaced my job as the most important thing in my life. So, probably right around when Longshore almost took you. When did I know I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you? The second I admitted to myself that I love you. When did I know that you were in love with me? Well, I always knew you liked me, but it was tough for me to believe you were actually in love with me and it wasn't just some kind of infatuation. So, I'd say when you gave me this." She held up her wrist that held the charm bracelet that Chuck had given to her that Christmas years ago when Fulcrum took over the Buy More. "It was hard for me to actually come to terms with it all, Chuck. Don't get me wrong, I always _wanted_ to end up right here, married to you. But back then, it seemed so impossible. You were my asset, and I was CIA agent. Plus, I didn't actually think you'd want to spend your life with me. You know all about this, how I felt I didn't deserve you. Honestly I don't know if I'll ever get past that feeling. I love you so much, Chuck Bartowski. You'll never know how grateful I am that you took a chance on me, on us. I'll never be able to thank you enough for giving me a second chance, especially after what I did."

"I love you too, Sarah Bartowski. You'll always be the most important thing in my life. And I didn't take a chance on us, that implies that the outcome was not already determined. I also always wanted us to end up right here, obviously, it's just that sometimes it looked like that dream was a long shot. And I didn't give you a second chance. You're my wife. I'll always stand by your side. I'll always love and support you, no matter what. I vowed to. But even more important than our vows, I promised you long ago that this," he took her hands in his, "this is forever. And I keep my promises, Mrs. Bartowski."

"You'd better, Mr. Bartowski, or there will be repercussions." Both of their moods had brightened considerably.

"What kind of repercussions? Like, a punishment?" He was giving her the full-on eyebrow dance. She giggled.

"That's it, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson," she stated as she stood up, pulling Chuck with her. He made a move towards the bedroom, and she stopped him. She pulled herself up and sat right on the kitchen counter. She pulled Chuck close and wrapped her legs around him, locking her ankles in the small of his back. "Lesson number one - how to ravage your willing wife on the kitchen counter. Begin."

"Yes, ma'am."


	12. Oh, Canada

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! I was sick all last week, but I'm doing better now. I had a little writer's block too. I hope you enjoy! Keep on R/Ring!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.**

Sarah woke up with a smile on her face. She felt a bit guilty. They were only here because of Alex, after all. But, somehow, waking up in a random hotel room in Michigan put a smile on her face. Not because she was at all happy about their situation, but simply because she started the day in Chuck's arms. That never ceased to put a smile on her face, no matter what dire circumstances they found themselves in.

She slowly shifted her head so she could look up at Chuck from her vantage point on his chest. He was still fast asleep. She could tell he was having a dream, but she couldn't tell whether it was good or bad. Usually, when either of them had a nightmare, they were so incredibly vivid they would shoot up in bed, waking up their partner. They always tried to talk about it when they had nightmares. They both found that just being honest was a lot easier than trying to hide something, especially when your spouse was a trained spy.

Sarah heard Chuck softly whimper, and subconsciously pull her closer to him. She decided to wake him up. She slowly slid her hand up his chest, gently stroking his jaw.

"Chuck, sweetie, wake up," she cooed softly.

He really could sleep through almost anything, she thought.

"Honey, please wake up….." She repeated that, and finally Chuck was on the road back to consciousness.

"Unhhhhh no, no, no….." Chuck stammered, half asleep.

"Baby, wake up!" Sarah was more forceful. She now could clearly see Chuck was having a bad dream. It always killed them to see their spouse in pain, especially when they were asleep. Night time was sometimes the only respite from their hectic lives.

"Sarah…." Chuck slowly opened one eye, then another as he saw Sarah staring back up at him, wide eyed.

"It's okay Chuck. I'm right here baby," she reassured. She quickly gave him a long, tender kiss. He embraced her even tighter. "Want to talk about it?"

"In a minute, Sarah. Let's just lay here and enjoy this before we have to get up."

Sarah snuggled her head back down onto Chuck's chest and closed her eyes. She could feel Chuck slowly stroking her hair. He was the only person she had ever allowed to do that, and she absolutely loved it. She always laughed at herself, but when he did it, she felt like a princess. His princess.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Chuck spoke.

"I was having a terrible dream." His voice almost quivered.

Sarah's hand found its way back to Chuck's face as she urged him on.

"It was about Shaw."

She froze. They rarely, if ever, mentioned that name. It was taboo in the Bartowski household. However, if Chuck was dreaming about him, Sarah was determined to help him get through it, together.

Chuck audibly gulped. "It was horrible Sarah. First we were back in that warehouse where I 'rescued' you. I couldn't see your face. You wouldn't look at me. You were hugging him and ignoring me. Then we were back on that bridge in Paris. I heard him say 'You can't, I can', then when I tried to shoot, my gun jammed. He shot me. I saw him about to shoot you. Then we were at the Buy More, and I was fighting him. I didn't reboot. I watched as he led you out of the store….." Chuck had tears in his eyes. It had always been one of his greatest fears - Sarah either leaving with Shaw, or one of his crazy schemes actually working. The fear of Sarah leaving had long ago been put aside for the most part, but Chuck would be lying if he said he never was afraid of it happening again. If Quinn had proved one thing, it had been that everything they had worked so hard for could be taken away in an instant. That was what they feared. They had built themselves a home, had a loving family. They were living the life they both always wanted, the life they both always deserved. It terrified both of them to think that someone or something could quickly take that away from them.

"Shhh, Chuck, it's okay. It's okay, I'm right here baby." Sarah had moved so that she was looking Chuck straight in the eye, his face in her hands. "I'm right here, Chuck, and I'm never going anywhere."

Chuck's breathing steadied and he calmed down a bit. She had that effect on him. She didn't have to give him a big Chuck-esque speech about how she was never leaving. She said it without words. She turned over and spooned her back into Chuck, grabbing his hands and wrapping them tightly around her. She knew that the physical proximity would not only calm him, but reassure him as well. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck as he laid soft kisses on her. Her spine tingled. His kisses got longer and sloppier, and soon he was working his way down her arms and to her hips. Considering they were both still without clothes from last night, they were both quickly and wildly aroused. Sarah flipped back over and faced Chuck.

"What time is it?" She asked between kisses. Chuck looked over her shoulder at the clock.

"6:15." He captured her lips again.

"Good. We have time."

She pushed Chuck back into the bed with force. He grinned widely. He knew what was coming. She quickly threw her left leg over and straddled him, laying kisses all over his bare chest. She could feel him growing more and more aroused by the second. It spurred her on, and soon she was burning inside.

"Now, Chuck. I need you now."

Chuck was not one to deny his wife, especially when she was on top of him gloriously naked. He adjusted himself under her, and soon they were grinding and moving in sync. At one point, Chuck had to physically put his hand over her mouth, considering they were right next to Morgan and Nate's room. He could feel her smiling under his palm. She playfully bit at his hand, which caused him to quickly retract his hand, which in turn allowed Sarah to resume her rather loud moaning.

"Oh, fuck it," Chuck said happily. This was far too amazing to nit pick. He knew in the back of his mind that if Morgan heard them, he would probably become even sadder, reminding him of Alex being missing. However, chances were Morgan was still fast asleep, and he was used to Chuck and Sarah from all the time he had spent as their roommate.

"It? I'm an 'it' now?" Sarah joked as she started bucking faster.

"Mmmmmmmm…." Chuck couldn't form a coherent sentence, so he just moaned. Sarah smiled.

All too soon they were both spent, and had collapsed back into each other's arms in a mess of sheets, sweat, and limbs. It was their favorite way to start any day.

"Sarah, I need us to really be on our game today," Chuck said after a few minutes. "We have no idea what's waiting for us in Niagara Falls. We've been out of the game for a while, but we were the best. You were the best. I need my kick ass super spy wife today."

"Don't you worry about that," Sarah replied. "The most important thing right now is finding Alex. We need to get her home."

Chuck smiled at his wife. She had truly changed a great deal since that first day she walked into the Buy More with a broken phone. Chuck always knew there was real girl somewhere hidden under all her walls and defenses. He spent years trying to coax that girl out. He would get glimpses of her, like when she cooked for him in the suburbs, or when he gave her his mother's charm bracelet. All those times reinforced what Chuck knew, Sarah denied, and they both truly wanted. He knew that the most important thing to Sarah now was family. Her family. She had grown up without one, and ever since she came into Chuck's life she wished his family was hers too. When their first child was born, Sarah had been apprehensive. She wasn't sure if a spy could be a good mother, no matter how much Chuck told her otherwise. But, the minute Stephen Charles Bartowski entered the world of the living, Sarah's maternal instincts kicked into overdrive. Sure, she had been incredibly careful and vigilant when she was pregnant, but it was a whole different ballgame once he was born. Almost overnight, she was turning into the person Chuck always knew she could be, the person Sarah had dreamed she would be someday. A wife, a mother, a sister, an aunt, a best friend.

They showered separately for once, and got ready for the day. They had no idea what was going to happen, but they were determined to face it together and do anything they could to get Alex back. Chuck texted Morgan to meet them downstairs for a Continental breakfast.

Chuck was sitting on the end of the bed, watching the news, while Sarah got ready in the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and smiled. She was on a mission, but here she was, putting make up on and styling her hair. She always knew that Chuck would find her attractive no matter what, he had proved that time and again, but she always loved looking good for him. Not to mention the reactions she would get out of him. He was always so cute and flustered when he saw her for the first time each day after she got ready.

She stepped out of the bathroom silently and took in her husband. He was intently watching something on the news, his brow slightly furrowed in concentration. Sarah coughed ever so quietly and got Chuck's attention. He jumped up and simultaneously shut off the TV.

"Wow, baby, you look gorgeous," Chuck grinned. Sarah blushed deeply at her husband's glowing compliment.

"Thanks, sweetie. Are you ready to go?"

"Yup. Just let me grab all our stuff. Are your toiletries packed?" She nodded. "Okay, let me put them in your bag and then we can go." He walked into the bathroom and got her kit, walked back out and packed it into her suitcase. They took one last look around the room to make sure they had all their things, and, satisfied, made their way down to the lobby to meet Morgan and Nate.

"Morning, buddy," Chuck said as he sat down at the table Morgan and Nate were already sitting at. "Morning, Nate."

Nate and Morgan greeted Chuck and Sarah, and they all got coffee, bagels, and other assorted pastries. It was actually a pretty good breakfast for a Best Western.

They quietly talked about mundane issues, until Chuck brought up the mission.

"Okay, guys," he started. "We have to be in Niagara by two for the meeting. I suggest we get on the road ASAP so we can do some recon beforehand. I've never been there before." Nate raised his hand to say he had been to Niagara Falls. "Good, Nate. We can definitely use your input today. We can not, I repeat, can not, go into this assuming anything. We have no idea who these people are or how much they know. It helps we have Nate, because they probably don't know who he is. If we need to get close, Nate can do it without raising suspicion." Everyone nodded in agreement. "I'll text Casey and make sure we're all on the same page. Let's get going."

The four of them finished their breakfasts, checked out, and packed everything back into the Suburban.

Chuck texted Casey.

**Bout to hit the road. We'll book it to Niagara and do recon. Ideas?**

In a minute, Chuck's phone buzzed, and Sarah read it out loud because Chuck was driving.

**Good. Leaving soon. Stay close when we get there, I have a bad feeling about this.**

"Really, Casey?" Morgan groaned from the back seat. "Doesn't he know not to say things like that on missions by now?"

It was the first time in a long time Morgan had joked, and it broke the tension in the SUV. Everyone had a laugh, and Morgan seemed to be hopeful. That made Chuck and Sarah happy, knowing their friend Morgan was coming back to them.

The drive to Detroit was slow because they were stuck in the middle of morning rush hour. After a while, they were finally at the border crossing station north of Detroit.

There were two cars in front of them waiting at the booth, and they could see that the guard was a twenty-something pudgy male. Sarah grinned.

"I've got this one, boys," she said as her and Chuck quickly switched seats so Sarah was driving.

After a couple minutes it was their turn. The guard grinned stupidly when he saw Sarah behind the wheel.

"Morning, ma'am. Passports, please." He was obviously checking Sarah out. She handed over their passports, and he checked the names to the faces. "What's your business in Canada?"

"Visiting Niagara Falls, sir," Sarah said quietly. "It's so beautiful and romantic," she continued with a hint of flirtation. He took the bait.

"It is absolutely gorgeous," he replied not taking his eyes off Sarah. He obviously didn't notice that she and Chuck had the same last name on their passports. Sarah smiled back widely at him, praying he didn't ask to take a look in the car. Not only did she have her gun tucked in her pants in the small of her back, they had thousands of dollars worth of gear, ammo, and tech in the trunk. They would be arrested on the spot if they got caught. Luckily, having kids had only grown Sarah's beauty. He was so distracted by her that the cars behind the Suburban began honking with impatience.

"Go ahead, ma'am, and enjoy your stay." Sarah winked at him, and he waved them through.

"Was the wink necessary baby?" Chuck teased.

"Jealous?" Sarah asked.

"Always," he said with a laugh. She leaned over and kissed him. "You've always been our not-so-secret weapon. That could have gone a lot worse." Everyone nodded again in agreement.

The highway in Canada wasn't that different, except for the fact the speed limits were in kilometers-per-hour, and most signs had a French translation.

"I always told you I'd take you around the world," Chuck joked. Everyone had a good laugh. "Now let's get to the falls."

**Burbank. 2013.**

Stephen was a couple months old now, and Chuck and Sarah were just starting to get a bit more sleep. Sarah was staying home most days while Chuck went downtown with Morgan to get White Fence off the ground. It was rather easy, Chuck thought, and in a few short months they had established themselves as one of the world's premier anti-cyber terrorism firms.

He had just finished hacking into Al-Qaeda's Pakistan network. Beckman had called about a week before and hired them. According to her, Chuck was a better coder and hacker than anyone the CIA or NSA had. Not to mention he still had the Intersect, so he was still privy to top secret intel. Their firewall was pathetic, and it took Chuck all of an hour to get most of their financials. He transferred all the intel he gathered to Beckman and decided to head home a little early. He usually showed up around 5:30, and Sarah would have dinner ready by six.

Sarah was really taking the whole housewife, stay-at-home mom thing to heart. She had gone from being a self-professed terrible cook to being able to make almost anything she or Chuck wanted. They had even hosted Thanksgiving dinner, and Sarah had taken it upon herself to cook the entire meal. The whole family was in disbelief at how good it actually was. Especially considering Sarah had been seven months pregnant at the time. My wife really can do anything, Chuck had thought.

Chuck was excited to go home early. While he enjoyed his work, he cherished his time at home more. He had been so close to losing Sarah that he overcompensated a lot of the time, not that Sarah minded. His grand romantic gestures only reinforced their love. He wold show up after work with a giant bouquet of roses, and when she asked him why, he would simply say 'I missed you' or 'I love you'. It was the little things that melted Sarah's heart. How he would always hold the door for her, or rush around the car to open her door, or how he would make sure to kiss her good morning and good night every day. It was what she had always dreamed of - a normal life.

Chuck pulled the Porsche into the driveway at around 4:40. He had left Sarah the Range Rover in case she had to take Stephen somewhere or do some shopping. He walked out to the mailbox and got the mail. Nothing special, just bills and magazines. He grabbed his briefcase and headed to the front door. He loved their new house, Sarah's dream home. The red door, the white picket fence, it was simply perfect. They had dome some renovations in order to make the home their own. They made the living room cozy, putting in a huge comfy couch and a couple of love seats. Sarah let Chuck get a giant flat screen TV, but she limited him to ONE video game system (he chose an XBOX). They got an extra comfortable mattress for their bedroom, which Sarah had a big hand in decorating. She used soft colors to make it a calming room. They put Chuck's record player exactly where he wanted it to go, in the corner of the den by the front door. They used it often, just to have background music while they went about their days.

Chuck quietly opened the front door, and was instantly met by wonderful smells. Sarah was obviously getting started on dinner. She could hear music coming from the kitchen. Not wanting to alert her to his presence, he set down his briefcase gently and took off his shoes. They would have made too much noise on the hardwood floors of the first floor.

Chuck knew exactly what song had just started playing. He stood still, wanting to see what would happen. He peered around the corner through the den into the kitchen, and he could see Stephen sitting in his high chair, watching his Mother dance around the kitchen while she prepared dinner.

That didn't surprise Chuck, he knew Sarah loved to dance. What surprised him was when she started singing the lyrics word for word. He couldn't help but smile as wide as he could. The lyrics were just so perfect.

Sarah began singing,

_I tried,_

_Tried to make it on my own_

_Did my best to get along, I tried_

Sarah Bartowski, formerly Walker, was a happy woman. She had a husband and a son. She finally had the family she always dreamed of. So many times it had seemed like they would never get here. So many obstacles in their relationship, from when she insisted they couldn't be together to when she lost her memories. But, like one of the fairy tales she and Chuck read their son at night, love always prevailed. It might sound corny, but Chuck and Sarah always knew that they could do anything as long as they were together.

_It's no use_

_Every winning streak just ends_

_Lonely days become the trend_

_Without you_

_Cause only you make me_

_Only you make me,_

_Happy, _

_Me happy_

Chuck started slowly walking through the den. Sarah didn't notice him as she danced around singing at the top of her lungs. Stephen was clapping his hands happily as he watched his Mom flit around the kitchen.

_I've lied,_

_If I've told you how I felt_

_Not a word I think would help_

_My love burns and you know, I'm supposed to be with you_

_I'm a madman, I'm a fool,_

_To be so, To be so_

_Only you can make me_

_Only you can make me,_

_Happy,_

_Me happy_

_Oh Oh Oh Oh_

_Only you can make me,_

_Only you can make me,_

_Happy,_

_Me happy_

If someone Sarah had known before she met Chuck had seen her now, they would barely know this woman used to be Sarah Walker, one of the world's best spies. She was happy. Not because of some particular thing that happened during her day, she was just plain happy with her life. Instead of worrying about whether Chuck would come home that night, or if they would be called to go to some far off country to quell a revolt, she was worrying about how long to keep the chicken in the oven and whether or not to give Stephen a bath before bed.

_I don't even recognize myself_

_Don't wanna be with anybody else_

_It's hard to live like this_

_I couldn't have it any other way_

_Wouldn't wanna live another day_

_Without, without, without…._

_Cause only you can make meeeee….._

_Ohhhhhhhh_

_Only you can make me….._

_Happy._

Chuck was now leaning against the doorframe that had their names carved into it. As the song finished, Stephen was still clapping his hands together, making funny gurgling noises. Sarah gave him a big sloppy kiss. Then she saw Chuck. She flushed beet red with embarrassment.

"You saw that?" She asked.

"Mmmhmm," Chuck replied with a smile. "I love that song."

"Me too. It fits our life perfectly." Chuck nodded.

"You're really that happy?" Chuck knew the answer, but both of them knew a little reassurance never hurt. It still hadn't been that long since Sarah lost her memories, and even though she had most of them back, it was still an open wound.

"Chuck, I've never been happier. Except maybe on our wedding day. And our wedding night….." She winked at Chuck and now it was his turn to blush.

"C'mere, baby. I missed you." Sarah melted into Chuck's open arms and they kissed passionately.

"I missed you too honey. Say hello to your son. Dinner will be ready in a little while," Sarah said as she turned back to the countertop to prepare some mashed potatoes.

Chuck walked over to Stephen and gave him a kiss, much to the child's delight.

"Hey big boy. You have fun with Mommy today?" Chuck asked him. The youngest Bartowski smiled widely at his father.

Chuck made his way upstairs to the master bedroom and changed out of his suit and tie into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He made sure to wash up, as Sarah would be quite angry if he showed up to the dinner table with dirty hands. As he was walking back through their bedroom, he caught sight of a framed picture on top of their dresser. Morgan had taken it the day they took Stephen home from the hospital. Chuck and Sarah both looked exhausted, Sarah more so, but they honestly had never looked happier. It was exactly what they had pictured on the bullet train. Chuck smiled. He had finally made it. Sarah hadn't made it easy, that's for sure, but he wouldn't trade a minute of their lives together for anything. All their trials and tribulations just reinforced their incredibly strong bond, to the point where they were literally inseparable. If they spent more than a workday apart, they sorely missed one another. They called each other numerous times throughout each day, most of the time to just say 'Hi' and 'I love you'. Most of their family and friends were jealous of them, because even after being married for over a year, they still acted like teenagers around each other. Most people were surprised Sarah hadn't gotten pregnant again, considering Stephen was a couple months old.

Finally Chuck was ready for dinner. He plodded down the stairs and he could hear Sarah talking to Stephen in the kitchen. He walked over to the record player and searched through his collection, looking for a good song to play while they waited to eat.

"Baby, are you done cooking?" Chuck asked Sarah.

"Well, no, but the chicken's in the oven and I can't do anything until that's done in a little while. Why?"

Chuck walked over to her, reached around to her back, and untied her apron.

"Chuck! What are you doing?" She didn't know what he was doing, but made no move to stop him.

Silently he took Sarah by the hand and led her into the den. Leaving her in the middle of the room, he walked back over to the record player and put on a record. Turning back to Sarah, he spoke softly.

"When I came home to you dancing and singing in the kitchen, I thought about how long it's been since we've gone out, jus the two of us. Now, I understand we have a baby and all the responsibilities that come with that. I get why we haven't gone on a date in months. But that shouldn't stop us from having fun together."

"Okay, Chuck, what do you have in mind?" Sarah asked.

"Come here." He held his arms out and Sarah wrapped her own around him. The music started, playing a great song that even Sarah knew. "Dance with me?"

"Always," Sarah replied with a smile and a kiss.

As the song played, they slowly swayed together, enjoying the few minutes of being together. Even Stephen understood the moment, and somehow refrained from crying or yelling.

**Yea, sing it with me y'all, oh yea yea**

**Can we wait just a minute**

**Slow it down for a minute now baby**

**Your talking loud**

**Your wilding out**

**Don't seem like my old lady**

**Let's go and play the song we used to play**

**Can we reignite the flame**

**Cause things just a'int the same**

**We can talk about the baby**

**We can talk until we're crazy**

**We can focus on it now**

**Or we can focus on it later**

**We can start another fight**

**We can argue and fuss all night**

**But I propose that we go to the floor and we slow dance**

**Tonight I wanna dance**

**Can you do that with your man, yeah**

**Tonight I wanna groove**

**And let the music make you move**

**Move, yeah**

**Can we wait just a minute**

**Turn that TV off for a minute**

**That politics and talking shit a'int really none of my business**

**Let's go and play the songs we used to play**

**On that old school radio**

**Let the music soothe your soul**

**Forget about the world**

**I'm grooving with my girl**

**Forget about the news**

**Let's put on our dancing shoes**

**Let's not talk about the war**

**Do we know what they're fighting for**

**I propose that we go to the floor and we slow dance**

**Tonight I wanna dance**

**Can you do that with your man, yeah**

**Tonight I wanna groove**

**And let the music make you move**

**Move yeah yeah**

**Move yeah yeah**

**I love it**

**I love it**

**I love it we're slow dancing together**

**I love it**

**I love it**

**I love it we're slow dancing together**

**I love it**

**I love it**

**I love it we're slow dancing together**

**I love it**

**I love it I propose that we go to the floor and we slow dance**

**Tonight I wanna dance**

**Can you do that with your man, yeah**

**Tonight I wanna groove**

**Let the music make you move**

**Yeah**

As the song ended, Chuck and Sarah stayed in their embrace. Her head was buried into his shoulder, and he was resting his chin on her head. He could feel her warm tears on his tee shirt. He hoped, correctly, that they were tears of joy.

"Thank you, Chuck," Sarah finally said quietly.

"For what baby?"

"I needed that. A nice slow dance with my husband. I love you." She looked up at him and smiled. He leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.

"I love you too sweetheart."

Dinner that night was more flirtatious than normal, and that night they re-discovered their endless source of passion for one another.

**Somewhere between Detroit and Niagara Falls in Canada, 2017. **

They were less than an hour from reaching the falls. Chuck was excited to be able to finally see the famous waterfalls, and hoped they could eek out some time to do some sightseeing. The mission of course took first priority, but if they had the time, Chuck wanted to at least take a couple photos with Sarah.

Casey had texted a little while beforehand to let them know he had just crossed the border with Smith. Casey said there were no problems at the border, which was a relief to Chuck. He was worried about them getting caught there.

"Honey, how long until we get there according to the GPS?" Chuck asked, as he was driving.

"35 minutes," Sarah replied.

"Okay. This is what I propose. When we get there, we find a hotel to use as a base of operations. Then we go do recon and scout the area. We should have a couple hours before the meet. We need to map out escape routes, and we need at least two contingency plans. We'll split up to cover more ground. Sarah and I will be, well, ourselves, and you guys can be tourists," Chuck said to Morgan and Nate. "Then we'll meet back up at the hotel, review, and make a plan. A damn good plan. Sound good?"

All three other occupants of the Suburban nodded their heads.

"Good. Let's go find Alex."

**A/N: The song's used in this chapter were "Happy" by The Daylights, and "Slow Dance" by John Legend. I usually don't put two songs in the same chapter, but "Slow Dance" came on when I was shuffling through my iTunes and it was too good of a song to pass up. I hope you guys enjoyed!**


	13. Niagara

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. **

Niagara Falls is a classic tourist trap. Bright lights, vendors everywhere, and cheap motel rooms flooded the senses. The team found a Motel 6 and separately booked rooms, making sure not to appear as if they were together. They were lucky - it happened to be one of the hotels that Motel 6 had renovated with wood floors, new beds, and remodeled rooms. It actually wasn't half bad - for $50 a night that is.

Chuck and Sarah settled into their room quickly and headed down the street to a diner they had previously agreed to meet Nate and Morgan at. They needed to quickly go over what they needed to do, how long they had to do it, and when and where to meet back up. It was decided that Chuck and Sarah, because they had the stronger cover, would walk down near the falls and try to scope out any surveillance, or just look for anything or anyone who didn't belong. It was up to Morgan and Nate to find escape routes, possible meeting locations, and contingency fall back locations. When they were done, they split up.

Chuck ran back to the room to grab something out of his bag. He took out a small pouch that Sarah couldn't remember seeing before.

"What's that, Chuck?" She asked as they got in the elevator.

"Covert surveillance. They're tiny sticky cams. You can literally throw them at a building and no matter how they stick to it, they'll always have a wide-lens shot of the street. I can even adjust the angle and zoom on my iPhone. I figured if we're going to walk around we should put some of these up at strategic locations." He took one out and showed it to her. It was no bigger than a small strawberry, and would be easy to throw a long distance.

"Where did you get those?" She asked in a teasing voice. It never surprised her when Chuck broke out some new crazy tech. He was a nerd, after all.

"The internet…." Chuck smiled back.

They walked hand in hand towards the falls. To any unsuspecting passerby, they looked like a couple in love enjoying a vacation. As they walked, however, they both were checking for tails, mentally mapping out where they were and how they got there, and looking for anything out of place. They had also been covertly throwing sticky cams onto buildings in important locations. At this point, they would take any advantage they could get. Finally they made it down to the falls. It amazed them how crowded it was. There were parking lots charging $40 to just park near the falls. They mingled into the crowds, both hyper-aware of their surroundings. As they got closer and closer, the crowds got bigger and bigger, and Chuck's grip on Sarah's hand got tighter and tighter. Even if it was subconscious, his first instinct was always to protect Sarah. He considered it the most important job he had ever had.

Eventually they found a spot by the railing and spotted the falls in all their glory for the first time.

"Wow," Sarah gasped as Horseshoe Falls came into view. "This is absolutely amazing, Chuck."

"Gorgeous," Chuck replied. When Sarah turned, however, he wasn't looking at the waterfalls, he was looking right at her. She blushed. She hit him lightly on the shoulder.

"Chuck! We're in such a beautiful place. Stop making me blush! We're in public!" Chuck laughed and pulled her into him. She backed into Chuck and he wrapped his arms around her, her resting her hands on top of his. He kissed the top of her head lightly.

"You're right. This is beautiful. I just wish we weren't on a mission right now. We could go on the Maid of the Mist and get really close if we had the time." Chuck seemed a little sad about the fact they were in such a romantic place but were on a mission. It was the same fleeting feeling he had when they were at the French chateau and he had tried to propose. Their life always took them to stunning locales, but they were usually there for a different reason than sightseeing.

"How about this. We'll take the kids here next month. Just the four of us." Sarah had turned and looped her arms around Chuck's neck. He smiled back at her widely.

"Really?"

"Of course, Chuck. I know Emily's still young but considering I plan on a lot of family vacations, we might as well start them at a young age." Chuck nodded enthusiastically.

"Have I told you today that I love you, and I wouldn't be able to survive a moment without you?" k

"Hmmm…..well, considering what we did in that hotel room before we left, you sure showed me. But I always love to hear it. I love you too, Chuck, until the end of time. Wow your corniness is really rubbing off on me!" She giggled and kissed Chuck lightly on the lips.

Chuck whipped out his iPhone, adjusted the camera so it was forward-facing, and snapped a photo of them with the falls behind them. It wasn't that good, considering how big the falls were and how close Chuck had to hold the phone so he could actually take the picture.

"Would you like me to take a picture of you and your wife?" A man asked. He was standing next to Chuck. Chuck looked behind him and could see who he assumed was the man's wife and three small children. He was a classic tourist - he even had a camera around his neck and a fanny pack around his waist. "I just noticed you trying with your phone. I could get more of the falls in the shot if you want."

Chuck looked at Sarah and she smiled. Chuck handed over his phone to the nice man.

"Thank you, sir, we appreciate it. It's our first time here and we want to remember it," Chuck explained. The man smiled as he took Chuck's iPhone. He stepped back a few feet and waited until Chuck and Sarah were ready. They posed almost exactly the same way they did when Casey had taken that picture of them in Palm Springs so many years ago - before they were a _real_ couple. But, whoever saw that picture always claimed that the two people in it were obviously in love. It turned into one of there favorite poses for the camera.

The man took several pictures, both in landscape and portrait, to make sure they got a good one. Chuck offered to return the favor for the man and his family, and he agreed. As Chuck took the man's camera and focused it on his family, he felt Sarah loop her arm through his. He looked down at there and she beaming. All those years ago, if she had looked at this family in front of her, she would have cringed. Now, she was absolutely ecstatic that she had her own loving family with the man she was going to spend the rest of her days with.

"I know." Of course Chuck knew exactly what was running through her head. He truly knew her better than anyone.

After Chuck snapped a few photos, the man and his wife thanked him. Their kids were hungry, so with a polite goodbye they went in search of some hot dogs. Chuck and Sarah were left looking out over the falls once again.

"I can't wait to take the kids here," Chuck said. "Stephen will love it, especially if we take him down close. I know Emily's young, but she's almost at the age where she can start making real memories, so maybe one day she'll look back on it and smile." Chuck was ever the optimist.

Sarah was still smiling from ear to ear at Chuck. He smiled back and leaned down to kiss her. He gave her a long kiss on the lips, and punctuated it with a peck to the tip of her nose, which caused her to giggle.

"Sorry! Can't help myself around you, Mrs. Bartowski. You're just so damn perfect," Chuck said as he rested his forehead against hers.

Chuck and Sarah stood there, in their own world, wrapped up in one another, for a few minutes. Then they mutually decided to get on with their mission. They were due to meet Nate and Morgan back in their hotel room in less than an hour. Their hands automatically found one another as they began their walk back.

They made it back with plenty of time to spare. Morgan and Nate hadn't shown up yet, so Chuck and Sarah took some time for themselves. They ended up lying on the bed cuddling, simply enjoying being with each other with no distractions for the time being. After about twenty minutes, they heard a knock at the door. Both of them sighed heavily. Time to be spies.

"Hey buddy," Chuck said to Morgan as he opened the door. "Hey, Nate, come on in guys." Chuck moved to the side to let them in, and closed the door and locked the deadbolt once they were inside.

Morgan sat in a chair in the corner and Nate took a seat at the desk. Sarah was sitting on the end of the bed, and Chuck sat next to her. She laid her head on his shoulder. Chuck could tell she was tense - she was terribly worried about Alex. That was why he had been trying to distract her while keeping her focused on the mission. It had been working for the most part.

Chuck told Morgan and Nate about the sticky cams, the falls, and what he and Sarah had noticed during their recon. Chuck pulled up the app for the cams on his iPhone and showed it to everyone. It would help a lot when the time came, they all agreed.

Morgan and Nate relayed what they had learned. Nate broke out a map he had picked up of the area and they mapped out escape routes and contingency plans. They decided that it was most likely their foes would try to meet either in a parking lot, hotel room, or a public place. On one hand, they hoped it was in something like a hotel room, because it was easier to control ingress and egress. On the other hand, it would be much safer to meet in public. Hundreds of witnesses were a good reason to not try anything dangerous. They prepared for either possibility, coming up with detailed plans to cover a myriad of possibilities. Even Nate was impressed at how quickly and easily Chuck could look at a situation, discern the possible outcome, and come up with an intricate plan in an incredibly short amount of time.

Once they were satisfied they had done all they could to prepare, they looked at the time. They had just under an hour until the appointed meeting time. Chuck decided to text Casey and see if he had any new info and to find out where he was.

**Any new intel? Meeting place? You here yet?**

After twenty seconds, Chuck iPhone buzzed. He picked it up and looked at the incoming text.

** a hotel. They're going to contact at 1:50 to give us location. Putting in earpiece. **

Chuck relayed the fresh intel to his partners. He checked to make sure Casey's earpiece was working, which it was. He could hear Casey grunting as Smith tried to change the TV channel. Middle of a mission, and he's the same old Casey. It made Chuck smile.

They waited anxiously until 1:50 rolled around. At exactly 1:51 Chuck's iPhone buzzed again. This time all four of them read the text.

**Parking garage. 4th floor. 540 Main St. 10 Mins. **

Chuck quickly took a look at the map and was happy to see the parking garage was right on their main escape route. A parking garage wasn't the ideal meeting place. They had met Nate in one because they wanted the privacy, and it was hard to surveil in an open space like that. They had some tricks up their sleeves though.

The four of them rushed downstairs and piled into the Suburban. Soon they were diagonally across the street from the designated parking garage. They went over their plan one last time to make sure everyone knew their role. Morgan was staying with the Suburban in case they needed a quick getaway. Nate would be the closet to the action. They figured if their enemy knew who they were, it would help to have someone they wouldn't recognize get as close as he could. Nate agreed. Chuck and Sarah would wait one floor below the meeting. Chuck gave Nate a few sticky cams and gave him instructions on how to activate them. Chuck and Sarah would monitor the audio from Casey's earbud and the video from the sticky cams. They were close in case things went sideways.

They got out of the SUV, Morgan moving to the driver's seat. Nate took off at a jog to make it up the stairs quickly. Sarah took Chuck's hand as they walked into the garage. Because Nate took the stairs, Chuck and Sarah walked through the garage, taking the car ramps up to the third floor. Chuck pulled out his iPhone and saw that Nate had already set up one of the sticky cams on a pillar. Soon, five more were up, and they had 360 degree surveillance on the meeting place.

Soon they could hear the unmistakable sound of squealing tires below them. The meeting was about to begin.

Chuck watched the sticky cam feeds on his iPhone as he saw the other Suburban arrive on the fourth floor. Chuck quietly told Casey through the earpiece to park it in the middle of the level, which Casey did.

After a minute they could hear another car on its way up. A black Cadillac Escalade made its way to the fourth floor and parked about twenty feet away from the Suburban. The windows were tinted darkly, and nobody could make out who or how many people were inside.

The passenger side opened, and an unassuming, rather short man got out and ambled towards Casey and Smith, who had gotten out of their Suburban. Casey was in handcuffs and Smith was holding a gun on him. Unbeknownst to even Smith, Casey's handcuffs were actually fake. They looked and felt like any other normal pair of cuffs, but there was a hidden button that he could activate with his thumb to release them.

"Hello, Colonel Casey," the man said. "My name is Brad Holloway."

Chuck instantly flashed.

_The Grand Canyon_

_Holloways' un-redacted file_

_Snapshots of Fulcrum missions_

_Snapshots of Ring missions_

_Snapshots of agents being tortured by Holloway_

_His current file with "ROGUE" stamped on it_

_The Grand Canyon_

Even though Chuck now was able to flash literally in the blink of an eye, Sarah could still always tell when he flashed. His body tensed, even if only for a moment. She took his phone from him so she could keep monitoring the situation, and waited for Chuck to explain. Chuck took a minute and asked the Intersect to explore more into Holloway's un-redacted files. Chuck needed to connect some dots.

"Sarah….," he said after a moment. "This guy's former Fulcrum and Ring. He's independent and rogue now. His specialities are torture and subversion."

"I think it's a trap."

**Six Months Ago. Burbank, CA.**

Sarah was glad her day was over. It had been a long one. Her morning was spent trying to bathe her four month old daughter. She barely got to eat lunch before Emily got hungry again. Then, in the afternoon, she had to run a bunch of errands. She went to the dry cleaners to pick up Chuck's suits, to the Land Rover dealership to get service on the Range Rover, took Emily to the park for an hour to take a walk, stopped by Verbanski Corp to have a coffee with Gertrude and Casey, and finally stopped at the grocery store to pick up something to make for dinner. Chuck had picked up Stephen from pre-school earlier in the afternoon, and would be waiting for her at home.

As she drove back towards their house, she peered into the rear view mirror at a stop light and caught a glimpse of her daughter. Emily Eleanor Bartowski smiled back at her mother, blue eyes sparkling. Sarah had secretly hoped she would get Chuck's eyes and hair like Stephen had, but it was now obvious that she was going to be a mini version of her mother. She already had a mop of blonde hair to go with her blue eyes, and Chuck swore she had the same smile as Sarah. He told her he worried that she was going to wrap him around her finger, like Sarah had done with her smile. "Too late, baby," she had told him with a laugh.

Emily had inherited traits from both of her parents. She was easy going, but incredibly determined and almost as stubborn as Sarah. Even though she was only a few months old, she had already figured out how to bend her Dad to her will. A smile here, a gurgle there. Chuck couldn't help but give in. Sarah never got tired of watching her husband with their daughter. He was so gentle and caring, and could hold her for hours with her wailing at the top of her lungs without getting frustrated. Sarah, on the other hand, always took it personally when Emily cried. She blamed it on herself and refused to listen to Chuck when he told her she had done nothing wrong. She was incredibly overprotective of her children, something Chuck found extremely endearing, not to mention unbelievably sexy. Sarah had long ago let go of her fears of being an inadequate parent. If anything, she was overbearing. Stephen was only four, but he already knew when not to cross his Mom. Like Chuck, he could decipher her moods, especially if he was the one who caused it (which wasn't infrequent in the Bartowski home).

Stephen had his father's giant heart. He was gentle and caring, especially with his baby sister. The first time he held her he surprised both his parents by knowing exactly how to cradle her head and rock her. It had brought tears to Chuck and Sarah's eyes. Stephen also got some of Sarah's defining characteristics. He tended to be reserved around strangers, while Emily was outgoing with just about everyone. Stephen was sensitive - one time he had cried for hours when he thought his parents didn't think he was good enough to start playing lacrosse. He didn't listen when Chuck vehemently told him it was because he wasn't old enough yet and he could play in a few months. Above all, though, Stephen reminded Sarah of Chuck. Not just because he inherited Chuck's eyes and hair, but because he truly cared about his family above all else. He always worried if he thought his Mom was in a bad mood. He would make her what he called 'feel better' cards. One day, he saw his Mom crying in the kitchen (she was pregnant with Emily and it was just hormones), and, wanting to make her feel better, he went outside and picked some flowers and went back inside and gave them to his Mother. He got incredibly confused when she started crying harder, but then she picked him up, peppered him with kisses, and assured him she was happy and they were tears of joy.

Sarah parked the Range Rover in the driveway. With one arm she held Emily into her shoulder, and in the other carried the groceries and Chuck's dry cleaning. When she got to the front door, she got irritated noticing Chuck had left it unlocked again. She told him almost everyday to keep the doors locked, even when they were home. Sighing, she used the hand holding Emily to twist the doorknob enough to open the door. Using her hip, she opened the door further. She could hear the TV in the den to her right. She put down the groceries and dry cleaning and took off her shoes. She looked over into the den and smiled widely.

Chuck and Stephen were sitting on the couch, playing a game of FIFA on the XBOX. Sarah had admonished them time and again for playing too much video games, and had limited them to playing for a few minutes after dinner. She coughed to get their attention.

Immediately, Chuck and Stephen both dropped their controllers on the ground and pointed at one another.

"It was his idea!" They both shouted at the same time. Sarah laughed loudly.

"Boys, you're in trouble. Stephen, go wash up, dinner will be soon. Chuck, go get the groceries out of the foyer. Now." She spoke slowly and deliberately, but still had a smile on her face to let them know she was only half-serious. Stephen got up, gave his Mom and his sister a kiss each, and headed up to his room to change and wash up for dinner. Chuck sheepishly walked over to his girls, looking at the ground. Sarah could see he was grinning. She reached up and cupped his chin, raising his face so she could look into his eyes.

"Hi, honey," Sarah said as Chuck broke out into a smile. He leaned in and gave Sarah a passionate welcome home kiss. Then Chuck bent down and gave Emily a big kiss right on the lips and ruffled her hair. She giggled at her Daddy.

"Hi, pumpkin," Chuck cooed. "Did you and Mommy have fun today?" At the mention of her Mother, Emily nestled her head back into Sarah's shoulder. She was very attached to her Mom and would usually protest when someone tried to take her out of her arms. Sarah sighed happily. Chuck went into the foyer and brought the groceries into the kitchen, then brought his dry cleaning up to their walk-in closet.

Sarah made chicken stir fry for dinner. She told Chuck about her long day, telling him what she and Casey and Verbanski had talked about over coffee and how difficult it was bathing Emily that morning. Chuck looked over at his daughter sitting in her high chair and grinned. Sitting next to Sarah, she looked like a carbon copy.

"What have you got on your plate for tomorrow baby?" Chuck asked Sarah as they had a cup of coffee after dinner.

"Hmm….I was thinking about taking Emily to the beach, but, besides that, nothing special planned. Why?"

"No reason, just wondering. Would you like to bring Emmy downtown and have lunch with me? Stephen is at preschool tomorrow until three. We can either grab some take out or go to a restaurant." With the mention of her name, Emily perked up in her high chair and looked back and forth between her parents. Sarah smiled and reached over, stroking Emily's hair. She gurgled with delight.

"Sure, Chuck. Your girls would love to have lunch with you. We can decide what to get tomorrow. Stroke of noon okay?"

"Of course. Maybe if it's a slow day I can even take the afternoon off and join you at the beach until we have to get Stevie. I'd really like that. I don't get to spend enough time with you guys as it is."

"Chuck it's okay. You're working hard to provide for your family. That's what counts. We'll always be right here waiting for you. But that doesn't mean we won't miss you like crazy."

Sarah got up to put their mugs in the dishwasher and sat back down in her seat. Then she noticed a small blue velvet box sitting right in front of her on the table.

"Chuck, what's this?" Sarah grinned.

"Open it." Chuck had a wide smile plastered on his face. He was letting Emily play with his wedding ring, one of her favorite activities.

Sarah slowly opened the box, revealing a beautiful silver necklace with Mom, Dad, Son and Daughter pendants. It was gorgeous.

"Oh, Chuck, it's beautiful!" Sarah beamed. Chuck got up and made his way behind her. She held her hair to the side so he could clasp it around her neck. She fingered the pendants. "What's it for? Today's not our anniversary or my birthday…." She mentally went through the calendar, and came to the conclusion it was just another Tuesday.

"What, I need a reason to dote on my wife? I wanted you to be able to take us with you always. I guess I just like doing nice things for you," he teased.

"It's perfect Chuck. Thank you," she said as she stood up, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him. "I love you sweetie."

"I love you too, babe. I'm glad you liked it."

"You were actually worried I wasn't gonna like it?" She asked playfully hitting him on the chest.

"Well, I'm always nervous when I give you gifts. I mean, how do you find the perfect gift for the perfect woman?"

"Chuck….." Sarah was blushing now. "You really don't have to.."

"No, Sarah, I really do. You give me so much. You're the mother of my children. You're the most amazing wife and mother a guy could ask for. I never hear you complain or whine about anything, even when I know you're frustrated. You constantly remind me of how lucky I am, and I want you to know that I don't take it for granted."

"Chuck, I know you don't take it for granted. That's just plain stupid. And I find it funny when you say I'm such a good parent, because, honestly, who do you think I'm learning from? You're an incredible husband and father, Chuck, and I don't ever want you to forget it." She punctuated her statement with another passionate kiss.

Emily had remained fairly quiet while her parents talked. Soon, however, she got emotional from the lack of attention. She started wailing.

"Oh, my baby girl, c'mere," Chuck said as he scooped her up into her arms. He tickled her and blew raspberries on her stomach, forcing her to giggle and stop crying. "That's better squirt. Here, go to Mommy. Daddy's gotta do the dishes." He handed over Emily to Sarah, but before he could turn around to start washing, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I love you, Chuck Bartowski."

"I love you, Sarah Bartowski."


	14. Letting Go

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.**

_"I think it's a trap."_

Sarah silently waited for Chuck to elaborate. From experience, she knew he would most likely come up with some semblance of a plan fairly quickly. And, if he was stuck, he never shied away from asking her for help. Sure, he was the 'master spy' with the 'master plan', but that doesn't mean he didn't need help every now and then.

"I think he knows what we're up to Sarah. He's way too calm…"

They listened intently the audio surveillance. They could hear Holloway talking to Smith.

_"How did you capture the good Colonel?"_

_"They spotted our tail and tried to take us out. We ended up in a firefight. In the confusion, Colonel Casey was unconscious and I had the opportunity to grab him. I figured he'd be good for some leverage. My partner's still tailing the rest of them around downtown Chicago." _Smith went with the cover story Chuck had concocted, and the Intersect told Chuck that Smith was barely pulling it off. If Holloway was as good of an interrogator as his file said he was, he was going to figure this out…

"_Very good initiative, Mr. Smith."_

_"Thank you, sir."_

_"My employers have requested that I take custody of the Colonel. They would like me to extract some information from him concerning his team."_

Chuck could feel the blood draining from his face. Alex was already in captivity, and they needed Casey if they had any chance of finding her. Chuck knew Casey could take it - sure, he had retired from the NSA but he was still Casey, as badass as ever. Chuck heard Casey cough over the wire, no doubt asking Chuck what to do.

"Casey, listen to me. Sarah and I can come down there right now and get you. But that leaves us no closer to Alex - we'd have to interrogate Holloway, and I doubt he'd actually give up anything of importance under torture. He's too well trained. He's a hired gun, just like Smith. We need him to let his guard down. If you go with him, we might get a lead, but there's no guarantee. You're wearing fake cuffs, we'd be right behind you, and if we lose visuals we still have multiple trackers."

Chuck could see on the video feed that Casey was mulling over their choices fairly quickly. Chuck didn't need to tell him to hurry up - Casey knew the situation.

"Casey, turn your head and look at Smith if you want us to come get you right now."

Casey's head stayed perfectly still, his eyes fixed on Holloway.

"Turn your head and look at Smith if you want us to let Holloway take you and see if we can get any intel."

Casey turned and looked at Smith. Chuck knew Casey would probably take this route, but that doesn't mean he didn't deserve the option. They all would do anything in their power to get Alex back, and Casey was the epitome of that.

From the way Casey was glaring at him, Smith figured out what the plan was.

_"He's all yours, sir," _Smith said to Holloway._ "Just watch out. He talks back."_

Smith shoved Casey towards Holloway. Holloway signaled to the Escalade and three large goons got out. First, they patted down Casey. Then, they took out a bug sweeper and swept his entire body. Chuck and Sarah held their breaths. The earpiece was supposed to turn off automatically, but there was always the off chance it would malfunction. The JB-21 was covered in stomach acid and was so deep inside Casey it would never set off a sweeper. After a tense moment, the goon with the sweeper turned to Holloway and nodded that Casey was clean. Chuck and Sarah let out the breaths they were holding when they didn't even bother to look at Casey's cuffs. They obviously still trusted Smith to an extent.

_"What are my orders sir?" _Smith asked Holloway as the men piled Casey into the backseat of the Escalade.

_"You are to rejoin your partner in Chicago. Await further orders and payment." _With that, Holloway got back into the front passenger seat of the Cadillac.

Chuck quickly dialed Morgan's cell. He picked up on the first ring.

"Morg! Get the car running. Get the GPS up and tracking Casey. We're gonna follow them. Sarah and I will be there in a minute."

"Got it," Morgan replied, ending the call.

Chuck and Sarah were already sprinting towards the stairs and could hear the Escalade making its way towards the ground level. They either had to beat it downstairs and boogie across the street so they wouldn't be seen, or wait until they were down the street and follow. They were bounding down the stairs, jumping down four or five steps at a time. By the time they made it down, they could still hear the Escalade way up between the third and second floors. Sarah nodded every so slightly to Chuck, and they burst out the door and across the street. Morgan saw them from where he had moved to in the backseat and reached over and opened the driver's door for them. Sarah went in first and nearly jumped across the armrests into the passenger seat. As soon as Chuck got in and closed the door, they saw the Escalade pull out of the garage. They all let out of a sigh of relief.

Now, they had to keep Casey safe.

**Burbank. Early 2016.**

Chuck looked up at the clock. It read quarter past eleven. Forty-five more minutes of work until Sarah was due to show up with their son to have some lunch. Chuck had been at the downtown office for an early morning videoconference, but had driven over to Castle an hour and a half ago to work quietly. Morgan and Alex were still downtown. Morgan had more meetings and Alex was acting as the office assistant. She actually loved the job, and loved working with Morgan. It had been Sarah's idea. Years of working closely with Chuck had convinced her. Sure, they argued sometimes, because who doesn't? But in the end, their relationship was that much stronger because of it.

Chuck was barely concentrating. They had been contracted by a French pharmaceutical company to find out about a new drug that a rival had in research and development. They didn't really enjoy corporate espionage, but it was a paycheck, and what he was doing wasn't technically illegal. He had gotten pretty far in the few short days since they received the contract, and he decided the next step could wait a little while. He spent some time reading the paper and having a cup of coffee, waiting for lunch.

He wandered into the former-armory-now-family-den and plopped down on the couch. It was still a mess from the last time Stephen had visited, but it just made Chuck smile. He looked at the wall, where they had started to hang a multitude of family pictures. There were photos of he and Ellie as kids, Sarah and him before and after their wedding, the first picture they took after she got her memories back, the photo they took right after Stephen was born in the hospital, and extended family photos with the Bartowskis, Woodcombs, Grimes, and Casey and Verbanski. He spotted the picture of he and Sarah that Ellie had taken on his birthday in 2008. He and Sarah were still 'cover dating' at that point, even though it was obvious to most everyone what it was going to turn into. They were on the couch in the old Echo Park apartment. Sarah was on Chuck's lap, her head near his shoulder. He had his left arm around her waist and his right arm draped over her legs protectively. She was kissing him on the cheek, and he was grinning widely.

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Ya know, I'm pretty sure that kiss was for more than the cover…."

Chuck smiled, still gazing at the photo. He could hear her shifting Stephen on her hip.

"It says something about us that you can't really see any difference between photos from before and after the cover," Chuck said, his back still turned.

"That's because I was already in love with you, Mr. Bartowski," Sarah said as she moved towards Chuck, standing next to him admiring the photo wall.

Chuck turned his head and looked at his wife. Her brow was furrowed every so slightly as she intently looked over all the framed pictures. Stephen was comfortably resting on his mother's hip, head rested against her side. She had never looked more beautiful. Sure, she was just wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top, but that didn't matter to Chuck. She was his wife, the mother of his child. His partner. He couldn't help but stare. She noticed after a second.

"Like what you see?" She joked.

"Since the moment I first laid eyes on you," Chuck replied honestly. Sarah blushed deeply. She turned to Chuck and puckered her lips. Chuck knew better than to deny Sarah Bartowski, and dutifully bent down and gave his wife a long, tender, passionate kiss.

"Ew!" Stephen exclaimed at his parent's show of affection. He was used to it, but that didn't mean he wouldn't tease his parents about it.

Sarah smiled and started laying kisses all over Stephen's head and face.

"Mama! Stop!" He could barely talk between laughs. Chuck joined in and started tickling him all over. "Daddy! Mommy! AAHhhhhh haha ahahahah !"

Sarah put Stephen down onto the couch and joined Chuck in the tickle fest, laying raspberries on Stephen. Finally he gave in and yelled "UNCLE!"

"Did you learn you lesson buddy?" Chuck asked in a mock-stern voice. Stephen nodded. "Because you ruined the first one, I'm gonna have to give your Mom another kiss!" Chuck grabbed Sarah by the waist and dipped her like at their wedding, trailing kisses up her neck until he reached her lips. Sarah giggled when he brought her back up. Stephen was fake pouting. In reality, even though he was barely three years old, he knew that his parents were close and he loved it.

"Daddy! Story!" Chuck had started telling stories even before Stephen was born, when he would talk to Sarah's belly for hours while she either rested or slept. He told him stories about him and Sarah, as well as classic fairy tales, and some Chuck just made up out of thin air.

"Ok, Stevie, what kind of story do you want to hear?" Chuck asked as he and Sarah sat down on either side of their son.

"A you and Mommy one!" He replied instantly. Chuck nodded and took a moment to think of a good one to tell his son.

"Hmmm…how about I tell you about the time Mommy had to go all over the world to find me?" Stephen nodded enthusiastically. Sarah eyed Chuck, silently telling him to censor the story about Thailand and the Belgian. Chuck gave her a look to say, 'c'mon babe, it's me'. Sarah grinned and rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Ok, buddy, here we go. Once upon a time, before your Mom and I got married, we were boyfriend and girlfriend. We loved each other very much, and I was already trying to figure out how to ask your Mom to marry me. And trust me, buddy, that was a scary thought. It wasn't that I didn't think your Mom wanted to get married, it just terrified me to think about asking her. Plus, your Mom didn't like surprises nearly as much as she does now." Chuck winked at Sarah. "Then, one day, a bad guy came and took me."

"Why, Daddy?"

"Well I had something he wanted. But I wasn't going to give it to him, so he took me away from your Mom to a place far, far away."

"Were you scared Daddy?"

"Not really. You know why?"

"Mommy?"

"Exactly! You're so smart buddy. I knew your Mom wouldn't stop until she found me, so I never gave up. I knew she would eventually find me, so it was just a matter of time, and I vowed to hold out for her. Your Mom and Uncle Casey and Uncle Morgan went all over searching for me. One day, they got a really big clue. Your Mom, being who she is, decided she didn't want anyone else to get hurt so left to get me without your Uncles. Eventually, Uncle Casey and Uncle Morgan found Mom and helped her again. I remember I was asleep and having a dream, and your Mom was in it. We were talking about marriage, and I was convinced it wasn't real. I was so scared. Then suddenly I could hear a voice talking to me. Then I heard four words that I'd always wanted to hear and made me happier than I'd ever been - 'I wanna marry you'. Then I felt something, and, after a minute, I forced myself to open my eyes. And you know who was right there, kissing me, happier than I've ever seen her?"

"Mama!" He pointed enthusiastically at his mother.

"Yup. Your Mom didn't let anyone get in her way and found me. I felt bad because I could hear her crying, begging me to be okay. But she was so happy to see me that I forgot all about that and just kissed her right back!"

"EW!" Stephen shouted.

"Not 'ew', baby, it was actually quite romantic," Sarah chimed in. All three of them laughed.

"What then, Daddy?"

"Well, we went home and then a few months later we got married. And then after a little while you came along, and that made us happier than ever."

Stephen was beaming at both of his parents, who had tears in their eyes.

"Don't cry Mama! Daddy's okay. You saved him Mommy!"

Sarah smiled widely, and the tears just started falling faster. She wrapped her son up in her arms and hugged him close. He hugged his Mom right back.

"I love you Mommy," he said, his voice muffled.

She kissed the top of his head and said, "I love you too, baby boy. More than you'll ever know."

Sarah reached her hand out and Chuck took it, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb lovingly. They mouthed 'I love you' to one another, smiling.

They sat there, the perfect example of a happy family, for a few minutes. Nobody was in any rush. Finally, Chuck's hunger took over.

"Lunch?" He ventured. His son and wife both agreed wholeheartedly. They let Stephen choose where to go to lunch, so they ended up at Chili's. Chuck and Sarah didn't mind in the slightest - Chuck actually loved their fajitas - and they had an easygoing, relaxing family lunch.

Chuck decided he was done with work for the day, so instead of going back to Castle after lunch, he drove to the beach. Sarah didn't object, she always wanted to spend more time as a family. They spent their afternoon chasing Stephen around on the beach, making sand castles, burying Chuck in the sand up to his neck and pouring water over his head (Sarah's idea), and just having an all around good time. The beach was quickly becoming their favorite place to let loose as a family. They walked down the pier, Chuck showing Stephen where he had taken Sarah on dates and the arcade where he and Uncle Morgan used to play video games. Soon, the sun was setting, and they headed out. They stopped at Castle to get the Porsche and made their way home.

Chuck offered to cook dinner, and Sarah happily conceded. Not that she wasn't up to cooking, it was just nice to have someone else do it for a change. And Chuck always enjoyed cooking for his family. He claimed it made him feel more like a Dad, which perplexed Sarah.

As they ate dinner, Chuck reflected back on his day. A few years ago, his days rarely ended up the way he envisioned in the morning. There was always a mission or a complication, and his plans rarely if ever worked out the first time. Now, he was happy to let his days take them where they will. He had no idea when he woke up that he would spend his afternoon at the beach with his two favorite people, but he couldn't have been happier. Too many people never get the chance to fall in love with their true soul mate, and Chuck counted himself lucky, not to mention that he had the chance to do it twice. And now, they had started a family.

When he and Sarah had first started dating for real, Chuck grudgingly accepted that Sarah might not want a family someday. He knew how she grew up, how the CIA had trained her, and had seen her apprehension around children. The fact was, though, he loved her so much that he was ready to accept that. It wasn't ideal, but he would take any chance he got to live his days out with her, even if it meant making sacrifices.

She had continually surprised him after they got married. First, she took her job as wife incredibly seriously. She consistently proved to Chuck that she was ready for this life, their life, the life Chuck dreamed of but could only hope Sarah wanted. She was showing him day in and day out it was exactly what she wanted, what she dreamt of. The first time she told Chuck she was ready to have kids with him, his heart leapt up into his throat. She had to repeat it a few times until he actually believed her. It had made him so happy that he had literally ran around the house, giddy and babbling. She had just stood there and smiled at her husband, telling herself this was better than any life the CIA could provide her.

Finally Chuck came back to reality, and watched as his wife helped their son cut up his food into smaller, more manageable bites. Sarah grinned at Chuck and reached across the table, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. She knew what he was thinking about, she almost always did. 'I know', she mouthed. He broke out into a huge smile.

After they put Stephen to bed, post bath and story, they collapsed on the couch, tired from their day at the beach.

"That was a great day," Sarah said as Chuck laid on the couch and made room for her. She laid down and spooned into him. She grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her, nestling her head on his other arm. He let out a sigh.

"It was. Thank you."

"For what, Chuck?"

"For bringing him by, and letting me take us to the beach. I needed it."

Sarah giggled. "Of course, Chuck. If it was up to me I'd let Morgan and Alex run the office more so we could spend more time as a family."

"Sarah, if we did that, we'd turn into a grape soda distributor within a month." They both laughed heartily. "But seriously, Morgan's actually been doing a great job, and Alex hasn't ripped all her hair out yet, so I'm sure I could convince them to let me spend a bit more time with my super hot wife and my son."

"That would be great Chuck. I did have an idea the other day, though."

"What was that, baby?"

"Well, first, i want to take a vacation. Just the three of us. I was thinking maybe Disney World? He's too young for ComicCon. And Disneyland is too close. What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea baby. I'd love to have a trip with just the three of us. We can take the Gulfstream so we don't have to deal with commercial air, and I know how much you love flying it. I'll start making the reservations tomorrow."

"I can't wait sweetie," Sarah said happily.

"What was the other thing? You said 'first', so I'm assuming there's a 'second'."

"Okay. So I know Stephen's only three and we're still dealing with his toddler stuff, and I don't want to pressure you or anything, but I was just looking at you two, and I dunno, I guess-"

"Sarah just spit it out. I'm supposed to be the babbler in the family, not you." He chuckled.

"I want to have another baby."

Chuck was silent for a moment as he contemplated what Sarah blurted out. Because her back was to him as they spooned, she couldn't see the huge smile on his face, and obviously misinterpreted his silence.

"Chuck, It's okay if you want to wait. I get it. I mean, work takes up a lot of time, and Stephen's still young-"

Chuck cut her off mid sentence by flipping her over to face him. He kissed her deeply and when they finally broke apart, he was grinning.

"Let's start right now baby," Chuck said as he started kissing her neck.

"Really Chuck? I mean, you really want to have another baby with me?" Chuck couldn't understand why she would even doubt that.

"Sweetheart, are you kidding? Not only would that make me the happiest man alive, I think Stephen wouldn't mind a sibling to play with. Just promise me one thing okay?"

Sarah nodded, telling him to go on.

"Promise me we'll have a baby girl that will have your eyes and your beauty and your gorgeous blonde hair. That would make me so happy."

"I can't promise you that, silly, but I guess I'll try. I love you so much." She kissed him on the lips.

"I love you too baby. Now let's stop talking and work on our family."

Almost a year later, as they laid in bed, Chuck thanked Sarah. When she asked him why, he told her she had kept her promise. Emily Eleanor Bartowski did have her mother's hair and eyes and looked exactly like her. Chuck was the happiest father on the planet. Chuck rewarded Sarah profusely and repeatedly for keeping her promise.

**Niagara Falls. 2017.**

They could tell from the GPS that Holloway was taking Casey out of the city. Chuck decided the risk was too great if their cover got blown, so he stayed almost four blocks behind the Escalade.

"Chuck, how's this gonna work?" Morgan finally asked.

"Don't worry buddy. Casey knows what he's doing. Holloway's gonna try and interrogate him. He's far too conceited and arrogant. It's inevitable he's going to let something important slip trying to get Casey to talk. He needs Casey to fear him, and he's going to inadvertently seal his own fate. We'll be right there buddy, and if and when he needs us, we're going in hot." Chuck's explanation seemed to placate Morgan for the time being, and he sat back in his seat and looked out the window absentmindedly. Sarah kept track of the GPS while Chuck drove. Sarah was also checking for counter-tails and anything out of the ordinary.

They were headed back into Canada. Chuck could only hope they were taking him somewhere close by. The longer Casey was in Holloway's captivity, the longer it was going to take to get him back, and the longer it was going to take to find Alex.

Luckily, the Escalade exited the highway and drove on surface streets in a suburban town. Chuck surmised, correctly, they were going to a safe house. After a few minutes, the tracking beacon had come to a standstill on a street called 'Maple Drive'. This was their safe house - where they were going to try and break Colonel John Casey.

Good luck with that, Chuck thought to himself.


	15. The Colonel

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.**

Casey could tell they had pulled into a driveway and into a garage. He was still gagged with a bag over his head, but they hadn't touched his 'fake' handcuffs. That was good. He was busy mentally preparing himself for what was to come when they grabbed him and yanked him out of the backseat. He could feel going up a couple steps, into a mudroom, then down a flight of stairs into a dark, cold basement. They finally took the bag off his head and the gag off his mouth after they shoved him down into a wooden chair. His hands were behind him, cuffed.

It took a minute for his eyes to adjust. When they finally focused, he quickly took stock of his predicament. He was obviously in the basement of a suburban home. It was not finished. The floors were concrete. There was a single lightbulb dangling from the ceiling, shining its light over the space. He could see the single wooden stairway leading to the main floor. There was no alternate exit. The only windows were barely six inches in height, and they were blocked out so he would have no idea of the time of day. Casey sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by Holloway and three of his thugs. There must have been more of them waiting at the house, because he could hear at least three more upstairs. Holloway was talking in hushed tones in the corner to one of his henchmen. Casey couldn't make out any of their conversation. The other two men were standing closer to Casey, on either side of him.

"Hey boys, how about a drink?" Casey ventured.

He heard one of the men grunt, and neither of them gave him an answer or moved.

Casey suddenly remembered that his earpiece was still in, and hoped that Chuck could hear him. He would have to wait until he was alone to get confirmation, unless Chuck broke radio silence first. They had been on radio silence since Casey had gotten into Holloway's Escalade. It was standard operating procedure (SOP) when running an op like this, and both Casey and Chuck were following procedures to the letter. Casey knew that by now the team would be close, starting to formulate their plan. Casey hoped they would hold off, at least for a while. He could take the torture, especially if it meant getting closer to finding his baby girl.

Holloway sent the man he was talking to upstairs and turned to Casey as he began walking towards him.

"Welcome, Colonel," he said in a surprisingly polite tone. "I hope you are comfortable." Casey grunted. #12 - sarcasm with more than a dose of anger.

With that, Holloway left without another word, walking back up the stairs. That left Casey with the two mute guards. Sure, Casey thought, he could get out of his cuffs right now, easily take out these two morons, and be out of her in a jiffy. But that left them no closer to Alex. He was going to have to bide his time. He needed to talk to Chuck. But he wasn't alone.

Chuck, Sarah, Morgan and Nate were down the block. Chuck had turned Casey's comm to 'passive' when he went with Holloway per SOP. He was also afraid that any interference from their end might blow Casey's cover. They needed a no-shit assessment of the house, its occupants, and the situation inside. For that, they either needed to talk to Casey or somehow get inside.

"Morg, buddy, grab my tech duffel out of the back for me please?" Chuck asked Morgan without taking his eyes off the house. Morgan turned around on the bench seat and grabbed Chuck's duffel that he kept all of his spy gadgets in. It would make any silicon-valley buffoon wet his pants. He handed it up to Chuck, who put it between him and Sarah. He unzipped it and began rifling through it.

"Keep your eye on the house, baby," Chuck said to Sarah while going through his bag. "I'm trying to see if I have anything useful in here…..and…..ah ha!" Chuck grabbed a small box out of the bottom of the bag and held it up triumphantly. "Exactly what we need."

"What is that, Chuck?" Morgan asked the obvious.

"This, my friends, is another one of my inventions. I got the idea from a movie, actually. It's a camera-ball. And when I say that, it's pretty literal. It's about half the size of a golfball. It is covered with micro-cameras, so that no matter how it is situated, it picks up a 360 degree picture, in high def of course. It also has a microscopic microphone that picks up anything within a hundred yards. We're going to get it inside, and bring the advantage back to our side."

Nate looked fascinated, Morgan was in awe, and, as usual, Sarah was beaming with pride. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Isn't anybody going to ask how we're going to get it in?" Chuck asked, grinning.

"Okay, how are we going to get it in?" Nate replied.

"You, my new friend. We have no idea if these guys know who we are, and, if they do, you're the only person with us they wouldn't know. Holloway knew Casey, so it's not a long shot he knows who we are. I don't expect you to be seen, I'm just taking every precaution. All you have to do is find an open window or door and slip it in. I can do the rest from here on my iPhone with the remote control app." There literally is an app for everything, Nate thought to himself.

"Is that it?" Nate queried.

"Yep. Approach from the rear and use the foliage to your advantage. Be as silent as possible. If it's too hot, abort. Don't take any chances. We can't afford to have two of our team in there. Here, take a comm." Chuck handed him an earpiece like Casey's, and Nate put it in.

They did a comm check, and Nate quietly slipped out of the Suburban and crossed the street. He soon disappeared, but they could tell where he was from the tracker in his earpiece. He was two houses away, creeping through the backyards. Chuck flipped the audio feed to the car's speakers, and all three of them could hear him breathing slightly heavy as he made his way to the safe house.

Soon Nate was hidden behind a thick bush directly behind the safe house. There was a small backyard, maybe fifty yards, separating him from the back of the house. He could see an open window near the rear door. That was the entry point. He crept along the bushes, hyper aware of the noise he was making.

"Chuck, I've got an open window in view. Twenty yards away from insertion. Copy?"

"Copy, Nate. Be careful."

Nate slowed his breathing and his heart rate, attempting to be as calm as possible. He knew the risk of being captured right now. It would probably mean his death, and most certainly the death of Casey. That was unacceptable, especially with Alex out there somewhere. Before he knew it, he was right below the window. He took one last cautionary look around him, and, not seeing anyone or anything, slipped the camera-ball through the window and heard it drop onto the floor. He hustled back to the tree line and waited until he was hidden to contact Chuck.

"Okay, camera-ball is in play. I repeat, camera-ball is in play. First floor towards the rear of the house, east side. Copy?"

"Copy that, Nate. We've got video and audio. Great job buddy. Get back to the vehicle."

Nate made his way back to Suburban as Chuck used his iPhone to maneuver the camera-ball around the first floor. So far he had identified Holloway and four of his men lounging in the den near the front of the house. They seemed to be quite relaxed and worry-free. They obviously thought their location was safe, the other targets were still in Chicago, and that they weren't in any imminent danger. Chuck rolled the camera-ball behind a couch so it was hidden from view for now. He wasn't going to risk it.

Nate got back in the backseat, letting out a sigh of relief as soon as he was safe. "That was intense, guys. I know you cloak-and-dagger CIA types are used to this, but it's been a while for me."

"Actually, Nate, we've been retired for five years. Casey didn't tell you that?" Chuck looked in the rear view mirror to catch Nate's eye.

"Well, he told me he was still running ops with Verbanski, and you guys seem like such a tight-knit team that I just figured. Why'd you get out of the life? You're obviously pretty damn good at it, if I may be so bold."

Chuck looked at Sarah and they both smiled widely.

"That's easy, Nate. We're raising a family. I was an agent for a long time, and then Chuck showed me what was actually important in life. He saved me." Sarah was speaking to Nate, but never shifted her gaze from Chuck's. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. Sarah had a sparkle in her eye Chuck hadn't seen since they left Stephen and Emily back in Chicago. They both missed their kids terribly, and both of them knew it. Chuck and Sarah had a silent conversation right there in the front seat of the Suburban, vowing to do whatever it took to get back to their kids safe and sound, no matter what it took. Chuck pitied the poor soul who tried to get between Sarah Bartowski and her cubs. She was the walking definition of an overprotective mama bear, and Chuck would have it no other way.

Just then, they heard a cough over the wire. Casey. The comms were on 'passive', meaning the only way they could hear Casey was if he somehow was touching the earpiece to activate it.

"Casey, Casey, come in. Come in." Chuck keyed the mic on his iPhone.

_"I'm here Chuck,"_ Casey whispered. _"There were two of 'em down here with me. They went back upstairs five minutes ago. I got free of my cuffs to activate comms, now I'm back in them. Switch to 'active'."_

Chuck quickly flipped Casey's comms to 'active'. Now they would be able to hear everything that went on in the basement.

"Casey, we've got eyes and ears upstairs. They're really letting their guard down. I suspect if and when they interrogate you would be the best time for us to breach. Holloway will be in the basement, and I suspect he'll want you either alone or close to it. We can take care of the guys upstairs when the time comes."

_"Copy that, Chuck," _Casey replied. _"Give me some time with Holloway. We shouldn't waste a golden opportunity. There's at least six of them plus Holloway. I'll give you the codeword - moron - and that's your cue to breach."_

"Copy, Casey. Holding for your go ahead."

**Burbank. 2013.**

Sarah was running around the kitchen frantically, Stephen perched on her shoulder, trying to get everything ready. She took pride in her newfound abilities as a cook and a mother. She'd gotten pretty good at the whole wife thing after all. She was truly reveling in not only being Mrs. Sarah Bartowski, but also being Mommy. Stephen was barely two months old and any reservation Sarah had ever harbored about her capacity to be a good parent had long been thrown out the window. Chuck, of course, was proving to be an excellent father, and Sarah was more than determined to be the best for their son.

Stephen rested soundly, nuzzled into his mother's warm shoulder. He always relaxed when his mother held him, ever since the first time in the hospital. Sarah had been nervous, but as soon as she caught sight of his big brown soulful eyes, so reminiscent of his father's, she was blissful and full of love. She was a natural, as Chuck so easily put it.

She was just starting to set the table when she heard the front door open.

"Honey, I'm home!" Chuck was nothing if not traditional.

"Hey, sweetie. We're back in the kitchen getting ready," Sarah replied.

Chuck walked through the den and caught sight of his wife. She was using her left hand to simultaneously hold their son against her shoulder and stroke his back. She was using her right to properly place the forks and knives around the place settings. A more beautiful sight his eyes had never laid sight upon. He couldn't help but lean against the doorframe, sigh, and count his lucky stars. He had a wide, goofy grin on his face.

"Baby, are you going to help me or just stand there with that look on your face?" Sarah asked him, smirking.

"What look?"

"Y'know, the one you get whenever you see me after a while. You get kinda glazed over and dumbstruck. Don't get me wrong, its insufferably cute, but I could really use the help right now."

Instead of answering, Chuck went and helped Sarah after he gave his wife and son kisses. He set the plates, a pitcher of water, cut up some bread, got some wine, and tossed a Caesar salad.

"What time did they say they were going to show up?" Chuck asked after a few minutes of silent work.

"Six. But you know them. They could show up an hour early or three days late."

At 6:02 the doorbell rang. Sarah was busy putting Stephen in his carrier so Chuck walked to the door. He cautiously looked through the peephole - Sarah was still a former spy, after all. Chuck, satisfied there was no threat, swung the door open.

"Casey! Verbanski! You guys actually showed up relatively on time. Kudos." Chuck was smiling. He always knew how to push Casey's buttons.

"Shut up, moron." Casey growled, but Chuck could see the faintest hint of a smile.

"John, that is no way to treat our host. Hello, Chuck. How are you and Sarah?"

"Great, great. Come on in."

Chuck led them inside. They had been over a number of times since Chuck and Sarah had moved in, but not since Stephen had been born. Sarah thought they both were afraid of the Bartowski baby. Two of the world's most feared operatives reduced to babbling, incoherent fools all because of a two month old. They had visited in the hospital after he was born, but both had refused when Sarah offered for them to hold him. Casey literally ran out of the room, mumbling something about the head and lady feelings.

"Hello, Sarah," Verbanski said as she gave Sarah a hug and kisses on both cheeks. "How are you doing now?"

"Oh, I'm fine. You remember our son, Stephen, don't you?" Sarah picked Stephen up out of his carrier and he instantly calmed as he snuggled into his favorite position on his mother's shoulder. Verbanski mumbled for a second, tried to say something to the baby, then turned back to Casey. Chuck and Sarah shared a look and a small laugh.

"Why don't we have dinner guys?" Chuck suggested. Everyone agreed, including Stephen, and they sat down to enjoy Sarah's home cooked feast. In honor of Casey, she had made turkey. A classic American meal.

They enjoyed the dinner, making small talk. Their guests were actually delighted to hear stories of Stephen's young life, from when Sarah had struggled to give him his first bath to how Chuck would tell him stories almost every night. Chuck and Sarah both picked up wistful tones in their guests. Maybe that had something to do with why they wanted to come over for dinner out of the blue. They finished dinner and were enjoying coffee and tea when Chuck finally brought it up.

"So, Casey, care to enlighten us as to why you wanted to have dinner with us? I feel like I know you pretty well, buddy, and that you have something you want to talk to me and Sarah about."

"Okay, Bartowski. I wanted to tell you and Sarah that I'm resigning from WhiteFence."

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other across the table and smiled.

"Why are you two smiling?" Casey grunted.

"I knew it, Casey. I knew it!" Chuck exclaimed.

"Knew what, moron?"

"I knew you had a heart!"

"What the gorram hell are you talking about Bartowski? All I said is that I'm resigning."

"C'mon, buddy. Sarah and I knew this was only a matter of time. It's okay, Casey. We get it. You're in love and you want to be with the person you love. Go, be happy. We're beyond ecstatic for you two."

Casey grunted, Verbanski blushed, Chuck and Sarah smiled, and Stephen examined mom's fingernail.

"Okay, fine. We're in love. I'm going to work with Gertrude. You two don't need me anymore. You haven't for a while. I'm actually proud of you two morons. You'll make fine parents."

"Casey, I think that's the single nicest thing you've ever said to Sarah or myself. Thank you. And you know you're always welcome in our home, buddy. You two will always be Stephen's Aunt and Uncle. Just come around every now and then and visit. Tell us tales of your foreign adventures."

A few years ago, Sarah would have envied Verbanski and Casey. They got to travel the world, spy, go on dangerous missions, get that adrenaline rush. Not anymore. Everything she needed was right here in this little cozy house in the suburbs. She didn't need to jump out of airplanes - she had early morning feedings. She didn't need gunfights - she had amazing romps in the shower with the love of her life. She didn't need the CIA - she had the CIB, and that was far superior. (Get it? **C**harles **I**rving **B**artowski? Snicker, snicker.)

The rest of the evening was pleasant. Casey and Verbanski each actually held Stephen, and did fairly good jobs. He started to cry after ten minutes with Casey, and as soon as he was back in Sarah's arms, he was happy as a clam. Sarah smiled at her baby boy. He was so good for her. Their guests left around nine, and Sarah put Stephen to bed even though he had already been asleep for an hour, just in Sarah's embrace.

Chuck and Sarah watched some television, but neither of them were particularly interested in what was on. They were laid back on the couch, Sarah snuggled into Chuck's chest. Chuck was stroking Sarah's hair with his right hand while she played with the wedding ring on his left. At around eleven, Sarah suggested going upstairs. Chuck agreed.

They stripped down and got ready for bed. Sarah threw on one of Chuck's old tees, and he just hopped into bed in his boxers. She cuddled right up on him as he laid on his back. They let out a collective sigh and basked in the silence for a few minutes.

After ten minutes, Chuck broke the silence with a question.

"Do you miss it, Sarah?"

Sarah didn't answer right away. She knew exactly what Chuck was asking. She knew he'd ask after tonight. It was in his nature to worry. It was her job to make sure he didn't.

"Never."

She looked him right in the eye and from the way she was gazing at him, he knew this was the most truthful she had ever been with him. He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

A couple years ago he would have asked if this was enough for her. Didn't she need that rush? That euphoric feeling after accomplishing a mission? Now he really believed her when she told him she was happy. They had been married for over a year and a half, had a son, and she had never looked more content to him. So, without all his neurosis guiding his questions, he blurted out the first thing that popped in his head.

"Thank you."

Sarah blushed and smiled up at Chuck. She shimmied up so their faces were mere millimeters apart. She looked him dead in the eye and replied.

"Baby, you don't have to thank me. Just love me. That's all I need in this life."

"I love you, Sarah. Always and forever.

Just before their lips met and they lost all inhibitions for the night, Sarah whispered to him.

"I love you, Chuck. Until my last breath."

**Somewhere outside Niagara Falls, ON, Canada. 2017. **

Time seemed to be moving slower and slower as they waited and waited. Casey was still alone in the basement, and from what Chuck could see from the camera-ball, Holloway and his men were enjoying some food and football on TV. Chuck silently willed them to make a move, if only to interrupt the boredom. Chuck usually loved stakeouts, but this one hit too close to home. It was personal now.

Chuck had passed on the bulk of the surveillance duty to Sarah after she pleaded with him to get a little rest. Ever since this whole ordeal had started, Chuck had been running ragged trying to find intel that led to Alex. She looked over at her husband, who was absentmindedly staring out the window. She knew he was daydreaming. She wondered about what.

Chuck was daydreaming of simpler times. Okay, maybe not simpler, but less dangerous. He was thinking back to about a year ago. Sarah was pregnant with Emily. They had both learned numerous lessons from her first pregnancy, and the second time around was much easier on both of them. Sarah was still conscious of her looks, especially when she was almost to term. Chuck tried in vain to convince her she was more beautiful than ever. Sarah wasn't stupid. She saw how people stared at her when she went out. Chuck was her husband - he would always find her attractive, according to him. Chuck knew his wife was struggling, and decided to help her the best he could. He had Morgan watch Stephen. He knew Sarah would be out until dinnertime. He cooked her favorite dinner, lit candles all over the house, had music softly playing, and set the table with their best china. He had a single gardenia on the table at her place setting. She walked in and immediately began crying. Chuck, being Chuck, freaked out and thought he had done something wrong when Sarah wouldn't say a word to him, just sat at the dinner table and cried. And cried. Finally, she calmed down enough to talk. To Chuck's surprise, she apologized profusely. She apologized for being mean to Chuck, for ignoring him, for yelling at him, for being fat and unattractive, for being cold in bed, and just about anything else she could think of. Chuck tried, unsuccessfully, to get her to listen to him. After a while, she eventually listened to Chuck. He explained that he wasn't mad at her for anything. How could he? She was carrying his baby girl, after all. He tried to tell her she was more gorgeous than ever. He even tried reverse psychology on her, to no avail. All of Chuck's counter-apologies only made Sarah cry again. She assured him she was happy, happier than ever, and that's why she was crying. She told him how he always amazed her. How he always knew the right thing to say, the right thing to do. How she loves him. Oh, how she loves him. They ended up cuddling in bed laughing about how easily they got their signals crossed. It was quite a pleasant memory for Chuck. He only wished they could be back in Burbank right now, playing with their kids.

Forty minutes had now passed since they last heard from Casey. Chuck contemplated ordering some Chinese. Would Nate mind sizzling shrimp? Is Morgan hungry?

His thoughts were cut short by a grunt over the comms. Casey needed their attention, covertly.

They listened intently and heard footsteps plodding down the wooden stairs into the basement. Chuck hoped it was Holloway and the would be able to get this underway.

_"Hello again, Colonel."_ It was Holloway. _"Are we having fun down here?"_

_"Well, I could use a whiskey. How about a game of cards? Scared i'll take your money?" _Casey didn't sound shaken or tired. He sounded determined, and his team could hear the anger in his voice, even though he masked it well from Holloway.

_"Colonel, perhaps you are misinformed of the circumstances. You are my prisoner. I will do with you as I please. Soon, your entire team will be in our custody, and then we'll have some real fun."_

Casey grunted. Loudly. #24 - sarcastic scoff. That got a slap in the face from Holloway.

_"I'd heard rumors of your team years ago. A lot of people in the intelligence community didn't believe you actually existed. Some of the stories were just too unbelievable. I'm going to be famous now. The man who finally captured the legendary Colonel Casey and his team."_

This time Casey couldn't help it. He laughed out loud. Holloway punched him in the face. Casey spat blood.

_"What do you find funny about this situation? You think Chuck Bartowski is your savior, that he somehow is going to get away from the legions of men looking for him to rescue you? News flash, Colonel, nobody's coming for you. My employer wants your team alive and healthy. Apparently they have plans for the Bartowskis."_

So, they knew their names. Not a big surprise, but good to know. Apparently they were after Chuck and Sarah especially. What else is new?

Holloway punched Casey again, hitting the same spot as before. Casey grunted and spat at Holloway.

_"You really think you can beat Chuck?"_ Casey was baiting him. _"He's ten steps ahead of you and twenty ahead of your 'employer'. He's smarter than all of you put together. He's more of a spy than you ever were. Not to mention his wife would literally tear you apart if you laid a hand on him. If I was you, I'd find Chuck Bartowski alright. I'd find him and I'd beg for his forgiveness and mercy. Trust me, buddy, that is one shit list you do __**not**__ want to be on."_

They could hear Holloway punch Casey again, but Casey just laughed in his face. Holloway was getting frustrated. It wasn't supposed to go like this. He always got what he wanted - it was his specialty. Why was this guy resisting? Holloway wondered how Casey was getting under his skin so easily. Losing focus was one of the worst moves to make in an interrogation, especially if the captive was also trained. Casey had successfully turned the tables on Holloway. Effectively, Casey was interrogating him.

_"Who is this employer who wants my team so bad?"_ Casey asked. It was a long shot, but you never know if you don't try.

Holloway looked at Casey. Casey saw the man, not the interrogator. Holloway was scared. Why? Who was he afraid of? Casey knew he had to get him to start running his mouth. That's when people unwittingly gave up important intel.

_"He's someone you don't want to fuck with, trust me on that Colonel. I've only met him once, and I never saw his face." _

"Keep pushing him Casey, this is good," Chuck coaxed through the earpiece.

_"Sounds like a real asshole. I've met my fair share, buddy. Did he say why he wanted us?"_ Casey could tell Holloway was so terrified of this mystery employer that a friendly ear might get him to spill more than intended.

_"All he told me was that the Bartowskis owe him a debt. A debt he intends to collect on. Soon."_

**A/N: Next chapter should be up sometime later this week. I have at of homework, so I'm not making any promises!**


End file.
